The Worth of Wild Things
by Kicollette
Summary: After their escape from Mirkwood and departure from Lake-Town, Kili becomes separated from Thorin, Fili, Dwalin and Company. Kili encounters an unusual young Elf (female OC not named Marisuviel) from Mirkwood, who joins him on his journey. Some Bilbo. No slash. Mix of Book and movie 'verse. No AU, so no happy ending expected.
1. Chapter 1: The Forge

The Worth of Wild Things

**Disclaimer: _The Hobbit_, all characters, places, and related terms are the sole property of J.R.R. Tolkien's estate, and Warner Brothers, New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and WingNut Films.**

**This story introduces an original character among the Elves of Mirkwood. The early chapters take place in Mirkwood, and continue several days later after the Dwarves have escaped and been sent on their way by the helpful residents of Lake-Town.**

Bilbo had not entirely given up on his second, third, or eighth plan of aiding the Dwarves in their escape from Mirkwood's Keep. But time was running out, and if this last trip to the forge was fruitless, then his daring first plan would have to suffice.

In his invisible state, Bilbo had enjoyed the charms of everyday life among the Elves. He had visited classrooms of giggling children, smelled fresh bread baking in ovens, and listened to a harpist compose what would no doubt be her masterpiece.

He had found the forges of Mirkwood to have a warm and cheerful atmosphere, reminiscent of the Shire and the industrious Hobbits he knew so well. The forge was also his best hope for finding the supplies needed for his plans.

He arrived at his targeted West forge early in the morning, when few were there. One pleasant young face was at her usual workstation.

Her foot tapped the bellows.

"Too fast, Rhavaniel," her cousin Dûrion, chided her, "What song is in your head?"

"Um, Beyond the Sea," she replied, polishing one of the assortment of copper-dipped acorns covering her bench.

"They were sailing on a warm breeze in that song, not rowing for their lives. Mind your pace, " Dûrion turned his attention back to the forge, and the iron rod that had cooled enough to pull from the fire and hammer.

Her Uncle Lithaldoren looked over her shoulder. "Very good. And you've hammered out all of the gold leaf?"

"Aye, Uncle. They are awaiting Alyan at his bench." Rhavaniel replied.

"And the powders you were to grind for the glassblowers?"

"Already delivered to Master Manwëron. Pure copper, chroma, and iron dust." She pointed to the neatly checked off list of tasks on the wall above her bench. "I thought I could help examine the Dwarf weapons next, please?"

"You mean from the prisoners?", Dûrion snorted, "They are still locked up in the Keep with the Dwarves."

"But I have never seen Dwarves, or their ironwork. I heard they even had some Elf swords with them."

"All under lock and key, in case King Thranduil decides to send them away quickly.", Lithaldoren explained, "I can show you a piece of Dwarf ironwork if you want. It's probably still out in the old forge."

Rhavaniel was not satisfied, "One of them had a bow. I caught a glimpse of it."

Dûrion hammers at his iron, "You will not learn anything from a Dwarf bow."

Lithaldoren, "They are fine enough craftsmen, but not for precise weaponry. They are best at making what they use well - the broadsword, battle ax and war hammer."

Dûrion: "Aye, their fistmele is off. A Dwarf's longest bow is too short for an Elf. And too hard on the pull. They have poor eyesight, and are built for close-quarter fighting, so there is little care for distance shooting."

Lithaldoren, "Elves are master of the bow for our grace and speed of body, as much as our skill in the crafting of the weapon. Do not waste your time trying to learn archery from Dwarves."

Dûrion, "Learning from the mistakes of others is not without value. Spend time with Dwarves and you will appreciate the value of fine table manners."

Lithaldoren, "... and soap." Her elders enjoyed a hearty laugh.

"Speaking of soap", Dûrion said, "You should go back to Melima's and wash up. Change out of your work clothes and head to your lessons early for once. You should have started High Elvish a year ago, and the literature instructor says there is no use moving you up for another year yet."

Lithaldoren put a hand on her shoulder, "I understand you felt the call to the forge early, and you will be a great talent in time. But while you are young, you must avail yourself of all opportunities to learn."

"Yes, Uncle," Rhavaniel replied, hanging her leather apron on a hook on the way out. "I am at Nechaenion's home, not Melima's, this quarter-moon," she called back, but they did not hear her over their hammering.

Bilbo sighed at her leaving. He had hoped Rhavaniel's elders would have relented to her daily requests to visit the Keep and in doing so, show him where they kept the keys. Bilbo knew that the West forge blacksmiths had copies of all the keys to Thranduil's castle and Keep, but he had been unable to find them. He would have no choice but to obtain the keys from the Elf Guards on duty.


	2. Chapter 2: The Keep

Rhavaniel walked across Mirkwood commons, deep in thought. She was a young Elf, slender and graceful. She was dark complexioned, darker even than most Silvan elves. Her family had always remarked that she resembled a little brown egg in a nest when she was a baby.

Her black hair was thick and unruly, altogether unlike sleek and straight Elf hair. Abandoning hope of taming it, Rhavaniel learned to twist and braid her hair up, and pin it with sticks of bronze-dipped ferns collected on her walks through the woods. She favored the ones that were small and unfurled, curled tight like a fiddlehead. This kept her hair out her way for most activity, for she was an active girl.

Her eyes were a lush forest green, a color once commonly seen when Mirkwood was still called Eryn Galen, before the Great Darkening**. **

He eyes lifted from the ground at the sound of a group of younger children, scampering off toward the Keep. They must have dared themselves to take a look at the Dwarves, for they were heading in the wrong direction for classes.

The Dwarves had been prisoners for weeks now, and she had still seen no more than a glimpse of them. She should really be heading to class, but would there be Dwarves in class? Certainly not, and what could be more educational than studying a real, live Dwarf, albeit in an unnatural habitat? Why should she just read about them in books when there were a dozen plus one so close? This was an opportunity for education, as her Uncle so graciously encouraged her this morning.

She sprinted after the other children.

The younger children must have been coming to see the Dwarves since the first day of captivity, for they were all business. No giggles would give away their presence. They each took a peek through the grate with military precisions, rolling past one at a time.

Theirs was a memory game to determine who could spot the most Dwarves, or add the most details to the collected list of characteristics in a single pass. They had a little book stashed behind a rock at the other side of the grate for taking notes. She could not completely make out their whispers, but it seemed that one of them had spotted "Ax Head". This was cause for great excitement, and that boy was now apparently "in the lead".

They grinned at Rhavaniel from the far side of the grate, and beckoned her to take a look. She should really be too old for this nonsense, but it looked like fun.

Rhavaniel ran low to the ground and dropped flat at the side of the grate, as she had seen the children do. This kept them close to the grate for the best view, and below the line of sight of any Guards, both inside and outside the prison. If they dawdled, they would surely be caught by a Guard and ordered home to report their transgressions to their parents.

She peeked inside and rolled. Goodness! She was so unused to beards, she was amazed that the children could see anything beyond them. A long white beard. A silver beard, tightly braided (she sympathized, his beard must behave like her hair). A yellow beard with a braided mustache, and not much beard at all, though it was hard to say because that Dwarf's dark brown head was tucked low on his chest. But he had a two-finger glove on his right hand. She had found her archer!

Rhavaniel hopped up and over to consult the book. Ugh, they had sketched Ax Head. Their childish descriptions were quite literal, weren't they? She looked through the book and pointed out the ones she had seen: Eldest (how obvious), Silver Coils for her braided Dwarf (now that was quite whimsical), and Dwarf's Gold, they called the fair-haired one. She recognized that last name as a bit of an insult - Dwarf's gold being considered dark and diluted compared to only the bright gold that Elves would use.

"Where is the archer?" she whispered. They shrugged, and she flipped through the book again. Thirteen dwarves and thirteen faces, so he must be in the book. By process of elimination she found him, 'Shadow'. It must be him, just dark hair and dark eyes. She scribbled on his page 'ARCHER, right-handed'.

Rhavaniel had seen something else in her pass along the grate - a smaller cell across the hall from the Dwarfs. Fierce axes, maces, and heavy swords were visible beyond that iron door. It must be where the Dwarf weapons were locked up.

She was familiar with parts of the Keep. The blacksmiths routinely inspected the bars and locks, and she had been allowed to follow her grand-uncle on such rounds recently (when no prisoners were there, of course). He showed her locks, and even allowed her to take one apart and rebuild it, under his supervision. She could get through the lock she just saw easily enough - it was the simplest kind. The difficult locks were reserved for the prisoners' cells.

When the young children answered the final horn for classes, she hung back. She retrieved the book from under the rock and headed for a service chute. Unbeknownst to Rhavaniel, Bilbo had also observed this children's game, and followed her around the Keep.

The chute had a double door, resembling the door to a root cellar, except for the iron bars beneath. Fresh straw was sent in from above ground to below, for the cell floors. That was a simple lock, and she picked it with some of the smaller wax carving tools she kept in her jacket. She took the lock with her - no point in risking getting locked in. She knew she could use the lock as an excuse if caught - she could always say she was bringing it back, repaired from the forge, and had gotten lost.

Carefully closing the chute door behind her, she slid down into the straw heap below. She landed softly and burrowed into the straw, holding her breath until sure that no one saw or heard her. She planned to wait in the straw until she had determined the pattern of the Guards on their rounds, when she felt something brush against her feet. She jumped up with a start. "Rats!" she thought to herself. The straw pile was suddenly far less appealing.

She took a look around, and marveled at her luck. There were no Guards at her end of the Keep, and the hallway was wide open. She could hear the Guards at their main post, around the corner of the Dwarves' cells, but she could only see their shadows, and knew they would not see hers. She heard a commotion at the North end of the Keep, and realized they must be getting a delivery of food or ale. Thirteen Dwarves had kept the sutler and the Guards busy managing supplies every day.

She tiptoed down the hall to the locker of seized weapons. She was getting faster at this lock picking business, and with a quick click-click she was in. She thought she heard a sigh behind her, but dismissed it as drafts in the old dungeon and was not frightened. In truth, it was Bilbo, frustrated that Rhavaniel was so fast. She had not provided him with a proper tutorial on lock-picking. A burglar should know such things.

She ducked to the back of the locker and pulled out the sketchbook. Oh, how she would have loved to take these weapons all back to the forge for proper study. Dûrion was right when he said these were not fit weapons for Elves - the maces were hard to lift and she suspected the battle axe weighed more than she did. But she admired the crisp interlocking designs that decorated them. She traced them with her finger and realized that they were one continuous line. "Infinity" she whispered. She opened the sketchbook and noted the patterns and measures in as much detail as she could in this limited time and light.

There were three spiked iron balls on long chains, joined by a link and a leather strap. "What a good throwing weapon this must be. It must take some skill to hit its mark." She certainly admired their inventiveness. She would make something like this herself right away - a lighter version of course, fit for Elves.

She heard a noise, and ducked behind the pile of blankets kept for prisoners, while two Elf Guards passed. While on the floor, she saw it - a Dwarf bow of dark, smooth finish. It was thicker than she thought it would be, as were the arrows in the simple leather quiver beside it. When she tried to pull it back, she could barely budge the string. A sketch was not going to be enough to for her to understand this weapon.

When the Guards doubled back to complete their rounds, the locker was again shut up tight and dark.

Guard1: "See here that you get that straw swept up or the Lieutenant will be on us at the end of the shift. "

Rhavaniel had climbed back up the service chute with the Dwarf bow and arrows, with Bilbo close behind. She secured the lock on the grate. This was another disappointment for Bilbo. He had hoped that in her youthful folly, the girl would have forgotten and left one exit unsecured.

Bilbo watched Rhavaniel replace the book behind the Keep, and run for classes.

Bilbo realized something would have to be done about those children and their game. It would not do to have these extra sets of eyes on the Dwarves at odd hours.

He had an idea. Bilbo retrieved the sketch book and turned to the next blank page. He began to draw himself, in what he thought was a flattering light, with broad smile and a pipe in his mouth. His drawing skills were not up to the task, however. His twinkling eyes came out close-set and menacing. His smiling mouth appeared twisted, and his comfortable pipe now resembled a small leg with a foot still attached.

"Rather frightening", he thought, "but that may be more effective." Below his self-portrait, he wrote in the childish Elvish he had learned 'ghost'. That should keep the Elf children from the Keep.


	3. Chapter 3: The Ravine

The journey from Lake-Town started well enough, until the storm. The skies turned dark and poured buckets of water like a brigade putting out a fire. The fire was the Dwarves excitement to be back upon their journey, for the sudden rain had turned the path to sodden muck. All dismounted and walked to spare the ponies, not that it was safe to ride. Mud clung to the ponies' hooves and the dwarves' boots, weighting every step. The flattest path was still slippery, with Dwarf and pony alike loosing footing.

They passed by a fresh and ragged crack in the land. It was a ravine created by a flash flood, strong enough to have uprooted trees along its high banks.

The Company steered as far clear of the ravine as they could, for they could tell the ground was soft. But Kili's pony lost his footing and slid, bringing the full weight of its hindquarters into Kili and tossing him into the ravine.

Kili landed at the bottom with a loud crack the other Dwarves heard from above. His brethren rushed to the bank, only to begin slipping in themselves and needing rescue.

Kili caught his breathe and called up, "It was the bow that the people of Lake-Town lent me, not my back, that broke."

They sighed in relief and urged him to climb up. The sides of the ravine were slick and wet, with many roots exposed.

"There's good climbing here," Kili called up, but the ground gave way under him. Pulling on the roots further weakened the walls, and more mud slid down.

"I can't climb it." Kili called up.

"Wait there. We will toss a rope." Fili instructed.

The Dwarves stood a safe distance back from the ledge and tossed the rope down to Kili. In a flash he had secured himself and called out a "heave-ho" but the rope sunk into the ground and mud again threatened to bury him at the bottom of the ravine.

The Dwarves next tossed the rope over a branch of an oak that was still standing, so that it dangled near the center of the ravine. They thought they could pull Kili straight up and he could swing over to the banks. But the ground under the oak had weakened, and even the weight of Kili, who was a fit young Dwarf, was too much. The oak began to sag and sink and threaten to drop, taking Kili with it.

Finally, Thorin bade them halt, "Kili, you shall have to walk until you find better ground. We will follow as close as we can. If for any reason we lose sight of each other, head for the ridge we planned to camp at tonight. Agreed?"

"Yes, Uncle." Kili said.

"I will slide down and walk with him", offered Fili.

"No," Thorin replied, "You need to mind Kili's pony as well as your own now. If there is trouble from Orc of Elf, it will be up here. Stay where you are needed most." and in a quiet tone for Fili's ears only, "That is how a leader must make choices - with his head. Kili will be fine."

"Should we toss down supplies?" asked Bombur.

"No, he will have a rough enough road, and he won't be down there long. Do you have knife, sword, and water?", Thorin called down.

Kili, "Yes."

Thorin, "Then get moving! Same for the rest of you."

Kili's slow pace through mud and branches was matched by the muddy trek of the others above. They sang as they walked, letting Kili know that they were close by, and he answered in kind.

The morning continued in this slow and steady fashion. Kili had hoped he would find a way up by now, but that would not be his luck today. He noticed that the singing was getting fainter and thought the rest of them had tired. It grew fainter still, and he could not tell if he was falling behind or ahead of them. He decided he should be ahead of them rather than behind, as it would be dangerous for them to double back on his account. He quickened the painful pace.

His feet sunk so deep at times, the mud went over the tops of his boots. He used his sword to cut through branches. He stopped and heard no sound of singing at all. He despaired that his pace was so slow.

He lifted his water skin to quench his thirst and realized too late that it had been pierced in his fall and was empty. He stooped to drink from a puddle in the ravine, and continued to walk.

He encountered a great pile of broken tree trunks and rock, testament to the strength of the flood. He thought it might finally be something high enough to allow him to crawl out of this damp and endless pit. He began to climb the largest trunk, hacking at branches. It was at half-height through this thicket of waste that he realized the branches in front of him were the mud covered antlers of a mighty stag, caught up with his herd, battered and drowned. The rotten carcasses stretched up the length of the tree.

Kili shouted, "Is anyone there? Can you hear me?" It seemed so quiet that even the birds had deserted him.

He continued the climb the pile of debris, knowing the tallest portion was still not tall enough to reach the edge of the ravine, but hoping that he would be close enough to be heard. He began to climb over the rotten animals, the stench making him sick. Maggots infested the site, and it seemed to him that a grave had been turned inside out. He called out again, and no one called back. He was still not high enough to climb out of the ravine, so he continued to walk past the worst of the destruction.

The sun was high in the sky when he finally crawled out of the now shallow ravine - mud covered, thirsty, and exhausted. He pulled off his boots and scooped out the mud with his hands, then laid on his back and stared up at the sunlight through the branches.

"I have your bow." a voice called down from the trees.


	4. Chapter 4: The Watchtower

Rhavaniel had inspected all the lumber supplies in Mirkwood and had found nothing that compared to the Dwarf bow. She really could not ask anyone about it, as that would raise unpleasant questions. She would have to go beyond Mirkwood's borders with the bow, she decided, and make a day of it. She had made such trips before, to the greener woods of Dale. They were never planned trips, which would have been quite disobedient. She just allowed her feet to take her where they would, and they took her to something green and blooming every time.

A planned trip was different. She packed her own bow for protection, food, water skins, numerous sacks for collecting whatever bounty nature might provide, a rain cloak and miscellaneous supplies. She left early in the morning, enjoying the sight of dawn over Mirkwood as she took the treetop path.

When safely in the woods of Dale, closer to Lake-Town than her own settlement, she dropped to the ground in a clearing. This was the perfect spot. She loaded the Dwarf bow for practice and again struggled to pull it back mere inches.

"Dwarves must have been blessed with strength the way Elves were blessed with speed." she thought. She wondered why the gifts of Ilúvatar had been so unevenly distributed. Did the Father think that if one race had all of His gifts combined, they would diminish all other races into extinction? That did not make sense to her, as a race blessed with all of Ilúvatar gifts should possess nobility and kindness, always seeking to elevate others.

The bow continued to vex her as much as theology. She took out the arrow for safety, braced the bow on the ground with her foot and pulled with both hands. Now she was making progress.

She loaded the bow once more and laid upon the ground. Using both feet on the bow and both hands on the string, she pulled back on the bowstring. How they would laugh at her back in Mirkwood for doing this! Her aim would not count for much, but she pointed at a tall tree and released. Thwap!

The heavy arrow flew high and true into the trunk with a thump.

Rhavaniel was pleased. Perhaps when she was older, she would be able to use a bow of this heft, for it was a powerful weapon. She climbed up the tree to retrieve the arrow, for she had very few of them. The arrow was lodged deep - a quarter-way into the tree. Again, she found her strength lacking to the task.

While she was at her perch, the fresh ravine caught her eye. The water might have dug up something of interest. Retrieving her supplies from the ground, she scurried back up to the treetops for a better view and headed North, following the ravine. It ended quickly enough with a shallow bed of rocks and mud. Oddly, some of the mud seemed to be moving.

She watched Kili make his final climb out of the ravine and collapse. She knew by gait and shape this filthy thing was a Dwarf. Could it be one from Mirkwood? She had know the Dwarves had escaped the very night of her secret visit to the Keep. But this was a lone Dwarf, not thirteen. She recalled their faces from the book the children made, and ruled out all but Shadow on the face of this Dwarf. She jumped to a closer tree for a better look and confirmed it - no beard to speak of, and an archer's glove.

"I have your bow." she called down.

Kili froze in his tracks. His mind raced through the possibilities - delirium, a necromancer, a trap? An Elf girl was not a possibility, that is until Rhavaniel dropped to the ground in front of him.

Kili jumped back and pulled his sword. Rhavaniel realized her mistake and quickly offered open hands.

Rhavaniel "I was studying it. I did not know I would not get it back in time for your...release?" She laid his bow and quiver down on the ground and backed away.

Kili's suspicions circled back to a trap, but the bait was very tempting and the plotter quite small and seemingly alone. He crept up to the bow and grabbed it, his sword still at the ready. When he looked up, the girl was gone. If not for the solid feel of his own bow in his hand, he would have doubted she was ever there. His breath stopped, as he used all of his senses to anticipate how many eyes were upon him, and what they would do next.

Nothing.

He sheathed his sword and loaded the bow and with one slow look around, resumed his path at a brisk pace.

"Have you any food for your journey?"

Kili froze once more - heart stopped. This time, it was not a whole girl dropped sudden from the sky but a slender elfin hand slipping from behind a tree, tapping an apple she'd put on the ground.

The bait was less tempting this time, but if some trap were to spring upon him, it would have been done before he was given a bow to defend himself. Kili scooped up the apple, and tucked it in a pocket of his cloak. The girl was already gone from behind the tree. But a whistle and a wave lured him to the next tree and leaf-wrapped piece of lembas bread, another apple, and a water skin. He pocketed the food and drank gratefully of the water. With one last look around and a shrug, he set out once more at a clip.

"What kind of wood is that?" Rhavaniel called out, peeking from behind a tree, "Your bow?"

Between Kili's urgent purpose, and his justified caution with all things encountered on this quest, he was reluctant to converse with this Elf girl. But he was a well-raised Dwarf, taught to speak when spoken to. This Elf had followed the rules of courtesy between fellow travelers and he would do a disservice to Dwarf-kind if he fell short of the same.

He weighed caution with manners, and without pausing, he turned his head back for a quick reply, "Yew."

"It most certainly is not yew!" Rhavaniel countered, flitting from tree to tree, first to one side of Kili, then in front and beside again. "My bow is yew, and I have made many a fine bow of yew or boxwood, and even ash. Your bow is none of those."

Since his reply had been met with open doubt, Kili did not believe the rules of manners required him to defend himself, so he kept silent and kept moving.

"Unless the yew grow differently where you are from, or you kiln fire it,...or perhaps what Dwarf call yew is not the same in Common Speech?"

"We use root wood", Kili replied, a bit indignant at the suggestion his vocabulary was flawed. "You Elves are all up in the trees, using branches. You don't think of what is below your feet. Root wood is stronger - it won't break when you need it. I bet my bow will last years longer than yours."

"I hadn't thought of root wood at all. I am Rhavaniel, of Mirkwood. I'm an arms maker."

Kili cast a doubtful glance, not lost on Rhavaniel, since she was trotting alongside him now. Kili was tall for a Dwarf and Rhavaniel was short for an Elf (or not yet fully grown, she hoped) so they were well matched at eye-level.

"An apprentice, yes. I am still only folding steel, but my arrows and bows are already fit for the Guard. I cast perfect arrowheads and my engraving is steady handed. Look." She pulled out a fistful of arrow, to reveal a veritable sampler of Elf arrow heads. Slender points, leaf shapes, broad heads, a particularly vicious looking crescent, and a curiously ridged small point. Kili touched the last, and jerked his hand back as he tripped the spring barbs.

"Fish hunting head. I should have warned you. My apologies." said Rhavaniel.

"No harm. I've used fish heads before. I'm just not familiar with your type, is all. I'm Kili. Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise.", and after a brief moment of silence Rhavaniel asked, "How do Dwarf fish hunting heads differ?"

Kili, "I am not a maker of weapons, I'm a user. I hunt, I fight, I defend my people. I respect the armorer craft, but I cannot converse with you on the right heat for the forge or number of turns on a spring. And I am sure an Elf Guard could not, either."

"You are right, of course." and after a pause, "Do you know where your bow rosin comes from?"

Kili, "Aye, I know that."

In this fashion, Kili and Rhavaniel passed the greater part of the day. They discussed bow string and arrows, tree sap and fiber. Rhavaniel examined the brigantine armor of Kili's gauntlets with enthusiasm - and complete disregard for personal space. She did not slow his pace, for in truth she could have outrun Kili. But her eager questions and pleasant company helped pass the time and take him mind off the worry of locating his companions.

Kili came to a stop on the appointed ridge. He hooted a call to his Company but heard nothing in return. The ridge was far wider than they first thought. Perhaps he was too far East on the ridge for them to hear him? What if something happened to delay them? He knew they would not have passed the ridge without him, would they?

Rhavaniel kissed him quickly on the forehead, and he jumped back as if slapped.

"What was that for?" he asked with some annoyance, as she licked her lips.

"It tastes salty, just like mine. I knew Dwarves did not sweat rust. That was the silliest thing I have ever heard." Rhavaniel replied.

Kili, "Night is coming, and you will be missed. The party looking for me and the party looking for you doubles my chances of being caught."

Rhavaniel had taken advantage of their pause to take a bite of her own apple, "I will not be missed for nine days, at least. Your odds remain the same. Bettered, if you figure that a second set of eyes will help you avoid a search party."

"I take turns with various relations every seven days. They love me at every turn, but they can forget whose turn it is to love me. I slip away for a day here and there to do as I please. When my family meets and catches up, my welfare is always the first topic of conversation. But, I was going from one cousin to the next who, as habits ingrain, go the longest times between speaking. I take this as a sure sign that I am where I am meant to be. This has been most educational. You are the first Dwarf I have ever spoken to and you are as easy to talk to as any of my Elf brethren."

Rhavaniel meant her words as a compliment, but she could not have known that this was a source of discomfort for Kili. By Dwarf standards, he was tall and slender-built, with fine features. His beard was still mostly stubble when some Dwarf babies are born fully bearded. He had been teased for looking like a child of Man, or worse, as pretty as a girl Dwarf, on more than one occasion. Each slight had been answered with a fist.

"Am I as well spoken as a Dwarf girl?" Rhavaniel asked guilelessly.

Kili's discomfort worsened, for in truth he had hardly ever spoken to a Dwarf girl. Fili, who was older and fared well with ladies of all ages, assured him this would get easier when he grew up and filled out a bit.

Kili was eager to change the subject, "Do you know where we are?"

Rhavaniel, "Hmm, we are further than I have gone before. Oh, but I know what that is for!"

She pointed up to an Elf Guard watch tower. Four large trees had been lashed together at the tops to create tension to a circular tent structure of waterproofed linen. At this edge of the old Kingdom of Dale, it was mostly used as a fire watch, and not used at all in this season. Its window flaps were tied shut.

Rhavaniel and Kili raced to the base and began climbing the nearest tree. Kili was a young and agile Dwarf, and he could climb nearly as quickly as Rhavaniel.

"It is not derelict," Rhavaniel explained. "Just unoccupied. It is supposed to be supplied year-round, though.

Kili, "What will it have?"

Rhavaniel, "A great deal of arrows, a primus - what we Elves call a portable camp stove- charcoal, flint stones, lamps, and food if we are lucky."

The Watchtower had a trap door at the base of all four supporting trees. It was light weight, and swayed slightly even from the weight of Kili. The floor was paneled with birch bark sheets over a net of ropes. The inside belied the drab exterior of the panels. While the outside had been allowed to weather to enhance its camouflage, the inside reflected handiwork of bored young Elf Guards with too much time on their hands. Not an inch was left unpainted or uninscribed. Once Rhavaniel had absorbed the surprising beauty of the place and Kili had mastered a lighter step, they turned to the practical matter of finding supplies. Hundreds of Elf arrows, tied in neat bundles of two-score, were stacked on the North, East, West, and South sides of the watchtower. Bows were hung high on the walls. There was a well-worn primus, oil lamps, and four rolled sets of bedding. The food situation fared worse. There was but a few wrapped pieces of lembas bread and a large gourd box of pine nuts in the center of the room. It was protected from scavenging small animals by an overturned cook pot. There was no sign of the food a well-kept tower would have held - an abundance of bread, dried fruit, jars of honey, beans, oats, and a dozen varieties of pickled vegetables in large amber crocks.

Kili sighed, "Better than nothing."

He collected the little cooking stove and other supplies he might need. The girl would not need these things, as she would head back to Mirkwood in the morning, he was sure.. His eyes fell on the nearest wall, and a lovely sketch of the Thousand Caves of Menegroth. Graceful Elf figures peered from every tower spire. Man marched in great procession to bear gifts to the wise and mighty Elf King Thingol. The gardens below were intricately sketched. A different hand had filled in more drawing below the mastery. Under the castle and gardens, below the ground, were crude tunnels with hunched and naked Dwarves birthing themselves from sacks like maggot larvae, to pick up axes and dig.

Kili pulled the largest piece or charcoal from the primus and scratched out the offending scene. Not stopping with the crude drawing, he continued up, obliterating the garden in black, streaking the towers, and erasing the Elves inside.

"Shhhhhhhh". Rhavaniel had unlashed a West-facing window to let in light, and now a crow-sized bird of orange plumage had alit on the sill. She had intended to point out the bird for its beauty but Kili had other designs. With a quick pull of his own bow, he impaled the bird against the vertical portion of the frame.

Rhavaniel spun around, "What did you do that for? It was beautiful, you brute!"

Kili, "I did it because I'm hungry. An Elf can run all day on an apple and bread crumbs but I can't. There's another day of food at best and I may be many days away from finding my people so yes, I am going to have to hunt." He pulled the arrow and the bird from the wall and headed to the nearest trap door. "I told you, I don't make the weapons, I use them. I showed you respect as a maker. Show me the same for doing the dirty part of the job."

Kili retreated to the forest floor beneath the watchtower, where he started a small fire and cooked the bird alone as night fell.

As Kili contemplated if the cost of his pride was worth climbing back up to the watchtower for one of the bedrolls, a light approached. Rhavaniel lowered her lamp and stepped into the light of his campfire.

"I am sorry, "she said. "Sorry I judged you. Sorry you are hungry."

Kili nodded a quiet acceptance.

"Not much of a meal, was it?" she asked.

Kili shook his head. In truth, it was such a small bird, he would not have wasted an arrow on it under normal circumstances. He had been more angry than hungry when he made that decision. "I saved some of the feathers for you. For fletching, if you want."

She was nonplussed with such a graphic reminder of beauty lost, but her quick and open mind reasoned that this was the way of Dwarfs, to be _practical_ and to share what they had, even if what they had was not appealing to Elf sensibilities. "Thank you. That was very...considerate. Come, I have dessert ready in the watchtower, and it is not safe for you to sleep down here."

With a quick dousing of the fire, the pair climbed back to the Watchtower.

When they returned to the treetop shelter, Kili noticed that all of the window panels were open. "I have looked out every direction, and went out on the treetops, but I have seen no other lights this evening." Rhavaniel told him.

Eager to take Kili's mind off his concerns, she pointed to the cook pot, "I found a great cache of second-bloom berries, and a beehive nearby. I doubled the lembas bread I had with water, and doubled it again. I put it in the cook pot with berries and honey to sweeten it. When the honeycomb is melted on top, you know it is done."

She lifted the waxen lid to reveal a sweet-smelling type of bread pudding. "You will have to eat from the pot, but at least I found spoons."

"Thank you," said Kili, "You should take the first bite."

"I am quite stuffed with berries and honey already, thank you. This is what you need, and we still have some lembas bread and pine nuts for the journey. And more honey."

"This is delicious," Kili complimented her.

Rhavaniel, "You are too kind. I cannot set a proper Elf table, as my elders would be quick to tell you."

Kili, "I am not one for false flattery. This is better fare than we were served at Rivendell."

"You've been to Rivendell!", Rhavaniel exclaimed. Kili only nodded with his mouth full.

"Mirkwood Hall is the largest Elf city I have ever seen. Is Rivendell as beautiful as they say?"

After a good meal and a brief chat of the wonders of Rivendell, Kili retreated to the Northern portion of the Watchtower to sleep. Rhavaniel had no need of rest. The Elf bedrolls in the Watchtower were for meditation and prayer, and recuperation if need be.

Lowering the wick on her oil lamp and tiptoeing to the South portion of the watchtower, Rhavaniel set about cutting down a portion of the arrows to suite Kili's shorter bow. She chose to cut the fletched ends, as she had to rework the nocks for a Dwarf bowstring. The new bird feathers would be put to good use.


	5. Chapter 5: The Delay

With Kili marching below then in the Ravine, the twelve Dwarves and Bilbo resumed their march through the mud.

"Care to share a marching song, Mr. Baggins?" asked Ori.

"Oh, we Hobbits are not much for the march. Pick one of your own, and I will follow in." Bilbo offered.

The Dwarves began to sing,

_'Twas good to have, _

_The gold of Erebor,_

_And all the hoard_

_in peace to hold._

_A waiting fortune,_

_mem'ries dim,_

_with passing time,_

_Now ours to win._

_The Line of Durin,_

_Still unbroken,_

_leads the journey_

_with his kin._

_Few the words of Thorin spoken:_  
_"Pick up swords for oaths we swore."_

_"I know no mightier men on middle-earth,_  
_though we be few we'll win this war."_

**_(* Author note: borrowed heavily from_**** the poetic Edda *)**

Fili heard Kili's voice become faint. From his vantage above, he could tell that Kili was pulling ahead of them.

"Slow down, brother, save your strength, " Fili shouted. He had been marching beside Thorin, who put a hand in front his nephew, "Do not advise your men to lag. Would you coddle them all?"

The ground ahead of them grew worse, for they had entered marshland.

"We shall have to go around." Thorin told them. "It is not far. We can see the ravine on the other side. Just a few leagues out of our way."

Fili knew they were moving out of earshot, but continued to sing until Thorin bade them all "Stop! They will hear us back at Mirkwood. The worst thing we can do for Kili is to attract attention to ourselves."

The company went silent and glum. They had marched to midday when they stopped to rest the ponies, eat, and plan.

"This marsh has spread with the flood. There is no telling how far around now we will have to go." Balin pondered.

Thorin, "We are losing time. We should see if we can cut through. Ori is the lightest, save for Bilbo. Send him out and see if he sinks."

Ori, "I won't be the lightest if my woolens get any wetter. Should we not actually send Bombur? If he does not sink, then a pony would be safe."

Bombur, "Or send Bilbo. He is the shortest. We need to know his head will remain above water if we cut through the marsh."

Fili grew more flustered with the bickering and debating. "I will go myself. Give me rope so you can pull me back, and a pole to test the ground before me." He threw off his hood and cloak, and took off his boots. Thorin wanted to object, on the grounds that the best fighter should remain ready for conflict, but he sensed that Fili had endured enough worry to skip this lesson in delegation of authority.

Bilbo collected a bundle of long sticks that Fili could use as markers for the best path. They selected the portion of marsh that looked most shallow, and Fili began his march with rope securing him tightly to the rest of the Company.

The experiment began well enough, with water and mud barely passing Fili's ankles. The ground looked solid through the width of the marsh. Fili had gone over 300 paces and his hopes soared just before his feet reached a sinkhole.

The Company on (relatively) dry ground raised a collective shout when Fili's blond head disappeared under water. The pulled quickly, and Fili reappeared. "Hold!" he called, "I can go around a bit." A few more paces to the left, and the same plunge occurred. His companions pulled him up, only to see him sink again on another attempt.

Thorin sighed and took the lead on the rope. "Come back, Fili. We shall have to go around."

When Fili returned to the edge of the marsh, the company of Dwarves rushed to dry him off and warm him with sherry and blankets. Thorin comforted him. "Rest for a bit. We will go around, and be on the ridge long before dark."

It was a promise Thorin could not keep. The Dwarves marched through the mud the rest of the day only to arrive on the appointed ridge, exhausted and hungry, well after nightfall.

Fili, Oin, Gloin, and Bofur picked four directions and hooted for Kili, but dared not shout his name. Bilbo and the rest huddle together, while Thorin stood apart, in silence.

They saw no other fires. Had they known to look up, high in the trees, they still would not have seen the watchtower, less than a league East of them. Rhavaniel had already secured the panels for the night while Kili slept, and no light shone through.

"Start a fire." Thorin told them, "Kili is nearby. We will find him at daybreak."

The Dwarves made camp, and ate out of necessity. Though hungry, there was no satisfaction with that meal, as their minds were all on their missing companion.

At dawn, they ate cold leftovers and broke camp quickly, preparing to head East along the ridge, and find the head of the ravine.

They had only just secured the packs and ponies when Bilbo pointed in their planned direction. "Oh look, there's a campfire. That could be Kili's doing"

"That is no campfire!" someone shouted.

Great clouds of black smoke blocked the sunrise - replacing its light with a ring of burning trees. The Dwarves ran.


	6. Chapter 6: The Escape

In the morning, Kili was awakened with a hushed whisper, "Orcs!" Rhavaniel gestured to the floor, and Kili rolled over to look through the cracks between the panels to the ground far below.

Ten large Orcs rode Wargs, and at least another twenty Orcs were on foot, milling around the base of the watchtower. They had picked up a scent, and found the remnants of Kili's fire.

"Don't look up, don't look up," Kili whispered a prayer.

They looked up. Kili and Rhavaniel recoiled. "They may not see the platform through those lower branches" she whispered.

Apparently, the Orcs could see enough to become suspicious, and eight began to climb, two per tree. More Orcs on Wargs gathered below them.

"There are too many of them, we shall have to run." Rhavaniel whispered as she scurried about, securing flimsy locks on the trapdoors. Kili noticed that Rhavaniel had packed the necessary supplies together for him in the night. A large pack with his bow and new arrows held the last of the food, a medicinal kit, a lamp, bedding, water and a primus. She had a smaller pack with a larger supply of arrows and a spare bow for herself.

"We shall have to leave most of this behind." she whispered, "We may already be too heavy for these treetops. I think the East side will be safest. Branches do break, but I can judge which ones will bend instead."

Kili shook his head, "I cannot follow."

Rhavaniel froze and stared at him.

"I can't jump like you... I'm a _Dwarf_. I have to fight my way down." He was resigned, "Run as fast as you can through the trees. They will be distracted. "

"No. I have an idea." She promised.

Gathering their packs, they crawled out though a window opening onto one of the four great cross-branches of the watchtower.

"Hold on to the trunk and don't look down" Rhavaniel warned him, as she flitted from one branch to the next, cutting chords, until only one remained between their chosen tree and the watchtower.

Kili risked a glance down. Had he been able to see the ground below, it might have made his head spin. The branches were too thick from his perch, but not so thick he could not hear the Orcs closing in on them.

Rhavaniel was behind him in a flash, fumbling though his pack. She took out the spare lamp oil, broke the seal, and tossed it inside. Next, she lit a lamp and held it up.

"Take my hand," she said. Kili turned and she grabbed him by the wrist. "Hold on and trust me. When I tell you, cut that last rope."

Kili's heart rose as if it would like to escape his chest as he realized what she was about to do. "At least this will take some Orcs down with us", he thought grimly.

As the rustling of leaves grew louder, and the birds began to shriek their protest of these rough intruders to their nests, Kili could see the first of the Orcs lift the platform trap door.

Rhavaniel tossed the lamp inside, and the oil soaked bark floor erupted in flames. "Now!" she called.

Kili cut the last rope, and with a groan, the ancient tree stretched as if awakened from a centuries old nap and attempted to right itself. Before Kili and Rhavaniel were tossed through the air, they saw the Watchtower, engulfed in flames, collapse and spill its burning material down on the Orcs below.


	7. Chapter 7: Rough Landing

The rising sun was blinding, and Kili has no idea which direction was up as they spun through the air. The grazing of branches against his boots told him Rhavaniel had managed to maneuver her feet under her. A sickening crack and a gasp from the girl told him she was struck with a heavy branch, and he tightened his grip on her as he felt her long fingers slip.

As their trajectory slowed, Kili's sense of weightlessness ended and he felt the full weight of his pack dragging him down. He could see the green tops of gentle firs - the trees Rhavaniel must have been hoping they could reach. His surroundings become clearer, and as he prepared for impact, he realized his short knife was still in his hand.

Kili turned as best he could in mid-air, to lean forward with his right side and bring the Elf behind him. He realized that Rhavaniel had been trying to grab the branches and catch their fall, but she was not strong enough, not with the weight of them both. But he was strong, and quick enough, if only his aim could be true.

His booted foot hit the fir trunk first, and he put the knife in to the hilt and did not let go. They slowed with a jerk against the tree, but then it yielded to them. Boughs swayed and rocked and bent slowly until they hovered a few feet above the ground. Rhavaniel rolled off from behind Kili with an un-Elfin gracelessness and landed on her bottom, still holding his wrist.

"Let go", Kili whispered to her. She shook her head no, but had no air for words. He felt the fir tense beneath him and realized with a start it was about to snap him back up. He could not shake his knife loose, and in a split second made the heartbreaking choice to leave it in the tree.

As he rolled off and joined Rhavaniel on the ground, the tree gently righted itself and rained them with a thick layer of dust and needles.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"A bit, but I can walk. Run if I have to." she gasped.

They could smell the smoke, and hear the screaming of Orcs from the firetrap they set.

"Run it is." Kili was up on his feet first. With a quick mutual dust off and adjustment of their packs, the two were running North.

They did not stop running until mid-morning, when they paused for rest and water. They put down their packs with relief.

Both were filthy, and the dirt left their clothes - her green-hued jacked embroidered with fern and his blue traveling cloak of Dwarf spirals - indistinguishably drab and grey.

Rhavaniel began to unwind a long strip of cloth from her hand. Kili hadn't noticed it, until he realized it was soaked with blood.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I could not hold on to any branches - none of them. I misjudged my strength. I am sorry." Rhavaniel sat on a mossy rock, "Hand me the white gourd on my pack, please?"

Kili grabbed it and walked over to her as she unwrapped the last stiff bit of cloth, revealing the shredded palm and fingers. Splinters were still attached, one having pierced the palm and gone through the back of her hand.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Kili asked.

"Because we had to run." She replied, "I will clean it now. The balm will help."

"You should have said something." Kili scolded.

"It will not become infected, and it will heal. " she assured him.

"But you can't use your bow like that, can you? Or climb fast with one good hand. You should have said 'stop' sooner. You need to know what I can't do, and I need to know what you can't do." Kili pointed out.

Kili was angry with her, and Rhavaniel was sensing a trend. The Dwarf was right, as her family was always right when correcting her. But Dwarves seemed to have much less patience and tolerance for these mistakes. Were all Dwarves like this? She didn't like it, but she had to admit she would not be making the same mistake twice around Kili. Being raised by committee, as it were, she generally allowed herself to stand gently corrected by a dozen relatives before adjusting her behavior.

She pulled out her fine tool kit, bound up in leather, and unrolled it on the rock beside her. There were tweezers that would do nicely to pull out the splinters.

"I will get that." said Kili, taking them from her, "I can do it faster."

After a few minutes of silent plucking and swabbing, Kili spoke, "I'm not mad that you couldn't catch a flying branch dragging five-fold your weight. I didn't expect that you could. I need to know what you are thinking if we're going to be stuck looking out for each other." Rhavaniel nodded in understanding.

Back at the forest near the Watchtower, a band of burned and bedraggled Orcs and Wargs found a few drops of blood under a great fir tree. Their leader called for one to climb up for a look around. The vile creature discovered Kili's knife, and pulled it out of the tree, throwing it down to the ground. The Wargs breathed deep - they had the scent of two now.


	8. Chapter 8: Hunted

With her wounded hand cleaned and wrapped, Rhavaniel turned her attention to Kili's pack and the arrows she had made for him throughout the night at the Watchtower.

"We had better see if these work, or there is no value in carrying them any further," she said.

"All the Elf arrows were scouting weight and much too long and narrow for your bow. I took three arrows and bonded them together, cut them to fit your bow, and fletched them as one. The nock is chipped along all three to work with your bowstring. You will have to try one to see if the fletching and balance is right - I did not have opportunity for testing. I cannot pull you bow." she said sheepishly.

Kili had more than a few doubts that this concoction would work, but he was impressed with the resourcefulness of the Elf. The three-headed point did look quite menacing.

"I'll take a shot," and he loaded the bow. She had the length and the nock right, at least. He aimed carefully for a low hanging branch and released. To his surprise, the arrow sailed smooth and hit its mark.

Kili was deeply relieved. The few original Dwarf-made arrows in his own quiver were not going to last long in these woods. "Those will work, thank you. You are a clever girl."

Rhavaniel, "My hands are quick. It makes up for being slow of wit." She picked up her pack and they begin to walk again.

Kili, "Why would you say such a thing?"

Rhavaniel, "I am mediocre in studies outside the forge, but that is not what vexes me. It is my lack of ...comprehension... of the world. For example, my second parents left for the Undying Lands when I was small. I know they were old, and had lived a full live, but the idea that one could grow weary of Middle-Earth, with all its wonders, is something I still cannot understand. Here I've met a Dwarf and it may take years to know you. You are a young Dwarf, I think?" Kili nodded, "So, you will not be the same today as you will be tomorrow. Every day is different - no two sunrises, or apple blossoms, or snowflakes are the same. And I could not find two the same in a thousand years. I can't imagine being weary of it."

Kili, "They left, your grandparents? They didn't have to go?"

Rhavaniel, "Grandparents? Oh, by second parents I meant the parents who cared for me when I was small. I do not recollect my first parents, but I was quite attached to my second parents."

"They made a choice to leave, and planned it in great detail. It was a beautiful celebration, with all of their friends and family, and singing and music. Everyone was happy. I was still small. I heard all that was said, but my wits did not understand it because I thought they were going on a sail and would be back soon. I did not know I would _never_ see them again. I did not even know enough to be sad that day, or the next, or for a number of days after. I was very ignorant, and the realization was slow to creep in. My poor siblings had to cope with me constantly asking when they would be back. The answer never changed, so I do not know why I kept asking."

"My father died, " Kili told her, "in battle. I was young, but I remember."

"Did you know enough to be sad?" She asked, with curiosity rather than self-pity.

"Aye, I knew to be sad." He replied.

"Then you were far smarter than I." She told him.

They hiked North until mid-day. Rhavaniel selected a tall tree and climbed to assess a good path and perhaps sight water, as they were running low. To her dismay, she discovered Orcs and Wargs approaching. She scurried down the tree to confer with Kili.

"The Orcs from this morning are tracking us, and we are upwind of them." she reported.

"Is it still a large group?", he asked. She nodded, "At least twelve of the twenty riders we saw before, and I could not tell how many foot soldiers."

"We will have to double back and get downwind," he says grimly.

"Perhaps you can climb here, with our packs, while I race ahead and deliberately leave a scent. The trees are tall and thick, and I can come back to you safely along the high branches. They won't see me, and I am light enough that they will not hear me." Kili had to admit, it was a good plan. After the Ravine, he was reluctant to be separated from his new companion, but he saw no alternatives.

"Take this." Kili emptied his own quiver and handed it to Rhavaniel so that she could drag it on the ground for scent. He hoisted both of their packs with ease and began the climb. "Go no more than a half league ahead of me," he warned as she took off along the forest floor at a sprint.

Kili secured the packs between sturdy mid-height branches and kept climbing with just his bow and a good supply of arrows. He had a clear view of the ground from his perch and not long to wait before the band of Orcs passed beneath him. They did not slow as they continued to track Rhavaniel.

He counted a full thirteen Orcs on Wargs, another un-mounted Warg, and at least twenty Orcs on foot. The risk passed him by, and was now fully on the back of the Elf girl. He regretted that he let Rhavaniel engage in such a dangerous plan. He waited anxiously in the tree. He knew Mahal answered the prayers of Dwarves, but did not know if Mahal's grace applied to Elves. He thought there was no harm in trying, so he offered a quick prayer for Rhavaniel's safety. He was not long waiting for the reward of sight of her, half a league away, popped up through the treetops. She waived an all-clear, and dropped in and out of his sight as she slowly worked her way back to him along the high branches.

When she joined him in the tree she smiled, "Back in time for lunch." and handed him his quiver. She had managed to find wild grapes and grabbed as much as she could stuff in it.

"Well done." Kili told her, then froze, looking down. They had both failed to see one straggling Orc, far behind the others on a badly injured and lame Warg. It had heard them.

The Orc whipped his ragged Warg to a run as Kili dropped as fast as he could down the tree. Rhavaniel raced along the branches to get ahead of him.

Kili released an arrow before his feet even hit the ground. The Warg fell and rolled, taking the Orc down with him. The Orc began to scream for his companions when Rhavaniel's arrow through his throat silenced him. Kili raced up as Rhavaniel dropped to the ground, shaken and pale.

"You did well." Kili told her.

Rhavaniel nodded, "It had to be done." and after a pause, "Does he have anything we can use?"

Kili was more surprised at her practicality than her willingness to take a life. He had never imagined the haughty Elves would consider foraging dead Orcs in the woods, "Let's look, but be quick about it."

They decided his shield and helmet too cumbersome, and his lance too heavy for their journey. They took two smaller spears, a knife, and a ragged bit of his cloak to lay down a false scent.

Rhavaniel noticed an enamel feather pierced through the Orc's ear and took it. "This is Elvish", she showed Kili, "unique to the Avari tribe. They are distant kin to Silvan. Some live in western settlements of Mirkwood."

"Then he has killed your kind. Let that reassure you of your actions today." Kili said grimly.

Rhavaniel, "Odd that an Orc would choose to wear it the same way as Elf."

Rhavaniel approached the fallen Warg, to check the saddlebags. The Warg whimpered, for it was not dead after all.

"They did not even try to treat his burns." she noticed.

"Get back," Kili warned, with arrow drawn.

"No!" she help up her hand.

"We have to kill it." Kili said

"Are we going to eat him?" she demanded.

"No!" Kili replied.

"Is he going to eat us, in this condition? Please spare him. This is not squeamishness. I see something in his eyes that asks for mercy and if it is in our power to grant it, we should." Rhavaniel pleaded.

Kili kept a sharp eye and loaded bow on the Warg. He had thought to yell at Rhavaniel, perhaps crack her along the side of her head with his bow, the way Uncle Thorin had done to him on more than one deserved occasion. But the girl had listened to him and proven herself today. She had earned benefit of doubt. "Be quick about it." he said grudgingly.

Kili's arrow had gone clean through the Warg's rear leg. Rhavaniel quickly bound the wound with cloth. The animal was too weak to protest.

Rhavaniel retrieved her balm from her pack, and patted the Warg's burns as she unhooked his saddle and harness. She threw the saddlebags to Kili. There was food in one - putrid and unidentifiable. Kili tossed it back to her, "We are not that hungry yet. Leave it for the beast."

Rhavaniel prepared a bowl of water for the Warg as well, from the dead Orc's supplies.

Kili took what he thought worthwhile - leather chord, some throwing spikes, fishing hooks and line, and some chainmail. The last thing he pulled out of the second saddle bag was a long braid of silken chestnut hair that could only have come from an Elf. As it unraveled, Kili saw a piece of dried scalp still attached. He tossed the gruesome trophy behind a rock before Rhavaniel could see it.

"We're off, then."


	9. Chapter 9: Good Bye

Kili and Rhavaniel ate their grapes as they continued to backtrack West. Kili was silent and brooding. "No doubt worried about where the rest of his companions where.", she thought. Kili had already confided that he had family among the 12 Dwarves, and the rest may as well have been Uncle and brother to him.

"I doubt you are quick enough to do this," she teased, tossing a grape high in the air and catching it in her mouth. It was childish, she knew, but she was not too proud to offer up a playful distraction.

"Try it again." he told her. She grinned and tossed her head back, releasing the next grape even higher. Before it completed its drop, Kili shoved her aside and caught it himself.

"Grow up the younger brother in a Dwarf home, and you learn to fight proper for your food." he smiled at her.

Rhavaniel laughed, "What dish was most worth fighting for?" she asked.

"Oh, that depends on the season." he replied, and she once again turned the conversation to pleasant and familiar subjects.

By mid-afternoon, they had doubled back nearly to the burned edge of the ridge.

"I think we're safe to turn North now. Let's pull out that stinking Orc rag to cover our scent." Kili said.

"What's that?" Rhavaniel pointed to two figures on the ridge.

"Elf Guard!", spat Kili as they dropped down into the brush.

Rhavaniel stole a longer glance, "There are only two of them. I do not think they are searching for you. They are not numbered or equipped to look for a large party of Dwarves. I suspect they have come to investigate the fire. They may have seen the smoke from Mirkwood, and we have agreements with Lake-Town to maintain fire watch even in this part of the old Kingdom of Dale. It is Elf duty and privilege to guard the forest. "

Kili, "That makes sense." and after a thoughtful pause, "Rhavaniel, you should go to them."

"No." She said.

Kili looked at her, "Seriously, I am very grateful for your help. I would not have survived without you, but it is dangerous out here. How many nights have you spent in strange woods, and how many Orcs have you fought? One and one. There will be more and more. There will be too many. Take those riders as a sign of where you need to be - back home."

Rhavaniel 's mind raced, "Would you turn yourself in?" she asked. In response to Kili's look of shock, "You would be safe, well fed, and your people could ransom you back when they return."

"No!" Kili replied.

"For all you know, the rest of your group may already be back at Mirkwood in the Keep." she countered.

Kili had not thought of that, but it was possible the others had been caught. Why else had they not met him at the rendezvous yesterday? Being in Mirkwood Keep would have been preferable to meeting a large party of Orcs. Kili knew he could not give up though, or give in to despair.

"I will do no such thing," Kili told her, "I made a promise and I will keep it, even if I be the only one to reach...the Iron Hills."

Rhavaniel was crestfallen. Kili found the right words, "Though I do not take your advice, I respect the wisdom and friendship by which it was offered. Thank you."

Rhavaniel. "I understand. For my part, I will take your advice. I will go home."

"Warn them about the Orcs." Kili told her, "That alone will help me. Even King Thranduil would rather hunt Orcs than Dwarves, considering we've killed none of your kind. Show them the feather clip you found." She rose to leave and he pulled her back.

"Don't tell them you gave me food, or weapons, and for the love of Mahal don't tell them you set their Watchtower on fire. "

Rhavaniel, "I can manage this, Kili, I am an adept liar."

Kili looked surprised, "Really?"

Rhavaniel, "Yes, highly skilled. I merely had not had a chance to show you yet. Or perhaps I did, and you still do not realize it."

He chuckled. She was endlessly surprising, this Elf. "Good bye then."

Rhavaniel, "Good bye, and safe journey. May you find your place in the world, Kili of Durin. "

Kili watched as Rhavaniel trotted off to the two Elves and let out a whistle of greeting. She was too far away for him to hear the conversation, but he could see her warmly greeted by her Elf brethren. He felt as alone as had in the bottom of the Ravine, but he was relieved. He did not want to be responsible for putting a mere Elfling in the path of harm a moment longer.

Kili remained hidden until Rhavaniel jumped on the back of one Guard's horse, and they set out in the general direction of Mirkwood, across the burned ridge. Kili remained under cover of the standing trees, and headed North once more.

Kili had traveled but half a league beyond the ridge when he heard it. Breaking underbrush. He turned and caught sight of them - thirteen Orcs on Warg, running hard.

"When they eventually lost our scent, they must have doubled back and found their dead companion.", Kili mused. But why had they kept heading West and not turned North? All of Azog's hoard were looking for Dwarves headed to Lonely Mountain in the North.

Kili thought back to the Orcs that very morning. They would never have suspected Dwarves of camping in such tall trees. They were looking for Elves. The Orc Rhavaniel killed used face paint, as did the others in his pack. Azog's filthy Orcs were not painted. This was a different tribe of Orc. The gruesome Elf trophy... they were never hunting him. They were hunting Elves. Skita! He should have told Rhavaniel about it, that she would in turn warn the Guards. Were they still riding across that open ridge, exposed?

Kili dropped his pack, turned South and began to run back to the Burnt Ridge.

The screaming horses were all he needed to know the Elves had been caught on open ground with no trees to flee to.


	10. Chapter 10: Surrounded

Rhavaniel had been thrown clear when the horse was felled by arrows. The Elf Guard she was riding behind was not so lucky. The screaming animal toppled over, trapping him. Rhavaniel knew him as Glennodad, a fine young Elf not more than 300 years old. The Elf Guard officer, Vehiron, was using his own dead horse as shield.

The Orcs clearly had a strategy, with the smaller Orcs forming a screaming, darting, inner circle and the larger Orcs and Wargs circling from a safer distance. The Orcs had lit green branches, creating a choking, blinding smoke which made it harder for Vehiron to find his mark. Despite the distractions, he was able to dispatch a number of small Orcs with deadly efficiency. The larger Orcs were willing to sacrifice their foot soldiers.

Rhavaniel pulled off Glennodad's quiver and handed it to Vehiron. She pushed her stolen Orc spear under the dead horse as a lever and lifted with all her might. The dead horse budged enough for her to reach under and grab the Guard's boot, pulling the leg fee. The leg was broken and bloody below the knee, and even in his unconscious state, the Guard groaned in pain.

"Leave him be and pick up his bow!" Vehiron told her.

Rhavaniel complied, putting her anger in the aim at the largest Orc. "Take out the leader if you can." Kili had told her, "Orcs are worthless cowards without the one they fear the most."

While upright to shoot, Rhavaniel was suddenly an exposed target. The Orcs began the next phase of their plan.

The grappling hook sunk into her left arm with a searing pain, and a sharp tug caused her to miss her mark. Her arrow hit the largest Orc in his thigh instead of his chest, and he roared in rage and pain.

Rhavaniel cut the light chain on the grappling hook with Glennodad's sword. The grappling hooks came again, and she could not take even a second shot with her bow.

She turned to the Guard, Vehiron, and freed him from a hook, only to have two more catch him, and another catch his bow, breaking it. "Down to sword, little one," he told her, drawing out his own blade, which glowed in the presence of Orc.

Rhavaniel deflected and cut away hooks for both of them. She realized too late that their fallen comrade had been hooked by Orcs until they had dragged him beyond the pitiful shelter of dead horses.

Rhavaniel screamed and lunged after him, but Vehiron held her back. She did not want to witness them butchering her brethren, but could not bear to look away, as if that would leave him even more alone. But the Orcs did not kill him. They stripped him of armor and weapons and wrapped him in net.

"They want us alive." she whispered to Vehiron, then shouted, "Surrender!"

"No, child!" the Guard whispered. But the circling foot soldiers had stopped at the command of one of the thirteen Warg riding Orcs, who merely raised his hand.

"Buy ourselves time, brother," she whispered.

"And their leader shows himself...", Vehiron understood. Though they had no idea what to do with the information, at least they had it.


	11. Chapter 11: Stand

The leader of the Orcs rode forward. He gestured for Rhavaniel to rise. He looked like the personification of every nightmare of her young life, and she thought she would become sick with fear.

Vehiron put a hand on her shoulder, keeping her seated on the ground. "Let the girl go, and I will lay down my sword. She will take word to our King Thranduil, who will ransom me and my fellow Guard from you for a handsome price."

"No ransom," the Orc named Naur stated, "not unless he will trade two more girls for his Guards."

Vehiron turned pale.

"Did not think so," Naur smirked. "Not very pretty, is she?" The Orc that Rhavaniel shot in the leg rode closer as well, joining his leader and said in Orkish. "She will be less pretty when I pull this arrow from my leg, AND CARVE HER FACE WITH IT!"

"I only meant I prefer fair-haired Elves. No one is going to make her bleed, not even you, Ronkûr. Get that wound tended to, and keep your distance or I will put one in your other leg." Naur was much smaller than Ronkûr, but he was obeyed. His sharp mind and cruelty made up for his lack of size, and propelled him to leadership at an early age.

Ronkûr backed his Warg up slightly, and shoved the broken arrow out the other side of his leg with a roar and a spurt of blood. He ripped off a ragged piece of his clothing to bind the wound, and rode back to the circle's edge.

"One of us must reach home, Vehiron." Rhavaniel whispered to the Guard. "Do not wait for me. I will be in the hands of Ilúvatar. If you see a break in their circle, take it and run."

"I will not dishonor the Guard or my family name by leaving a child to the mercy of Orcs." Vehiron insisted.

"We will fight, then." Rhavaniel stood up on wobbly legs. She had slid Glennodad's glowing sword behind her, beneath her jacket. She had also hidden the Orc spear, but more clumsily, at her side. She hoped that if they easily found one weapon on her, they would not search hard for a second. Vehiron also stood, but did not lower his sword. The Orcs would never have believed an Elf Guard would make this easy.

As she approached Naur, he held up a hand to stop her. He called to one of the smaller Orcs, and pointed to Rhavaniel's side. The Orc foot soldier walked up to her. He barked at her, and laughed when she jumped. "Give it!" the creature hissed at her.

Rhavaniel heard the familiar whiz of an arrow, and the wet thump of pierced flesh. Naur screamed, and a second arrow struck his back. Orange fletch - it was Kili!

All eyes were on Naur as he crumpled off his Warg. Rhavaniel pulled out her spear and impaled the Orc soldier in front of her. The spear sunk deep, and she was unable to pull it out. She pushed the shrieking Orc over and ran.

Vehiron had also leaped at the distraction, and charged the Orc line, creating a break for her. Rhavaniel looked over at Vehiron, and he shouted at her "Run!" She did, heading in the direction she though Kili was hiding.


	12. Chapter 12: Run

Rhavaniel ran from the Burnt Ridge, pulling out the Elf Guard sword. The Orcs that were not scattered from the shock of the attack on their leader were intent on battling Vehiron. Only one Orc pursued Rhavaniel - Ronkûr.

Rhavaniel was fast, but not a match for a Warg on the ruined ground of the burned forest floor.

Kili jumped out from behind the charred trunk of the last tree standing, and took aim. He hit Ronkûr's Warg squarely in the eye, killing it. Ronkûr and his dead Warg plowed hard into the ashes and he screamed in frustration. He would never over take them on foot.

"Follow me!" Kili called to Rhavaniel. They ran, keeping low behind the brush. They ran until they came upon Kili's pack, and Rhavaniel's - she had left all of her supplies with Kili when she tried to return home.

"What do we do?" she asked.

"Head North, away from here. We can't help them. They are too many for us." Kili knew Rhavaniel's thoughts were with her fellow Elves. They could still hear the fighting on the Ridge, but Rhavaniel knew Kili was right - she nodded her head, shouldered her pack, and they both began to run.

They ran until the sword in Rhavaniel's hand stopped glowing, and night fell.


	13. Chapter 13: The Discovery

Thorin and Company had fled Burnt Ridge and stopped to regroup by midmorning. Half the Dwarves spent the better part of the day chasing down the last three ponies that had bolted in panic during the fire. All of their supplies were intact, and none were lost aside from Kili.

They watched the forest fire sputter itself out in the damp surrounding ground. Smoke and steam blew in their direction, and made the afternoon sun disappear as if behind thunderclouds.

"What do we do now?" Bilbo asked of Balin.

"Calm the ponies. Eat, if you have stomach for it. Pray for a sign." Balin sighed.

Fili approached Thorin, "We must go back and wait at the Ridge for Kili. That is what we told him to do."

"We cannot, " Thorin responded, eyes downcast. "The fire is still hot and we would be completely exposed. Kili is not on that Ridge. He is too smart for that. We wait. He would know to head North toward Lonely Mountain. We may yet spot him."

"Or he is still stuck in the Ravine, where we left him!" spat Fili.

Thorin sighed. "Get Dwalin. We three will go to the Ridge...look for a sign that Kili was ever there. If there be none, we will all look South, for the head of the Ravine, tomorrow."

Fili nodded with relief.

It took the three hardiest Dwarves an hour to reach the edge of the spent forest fire.

"Halt." Dwalin drew up sharply. A dead Warg lay before them, an arrow though its eye. Dwalin pulled the strange arrow out and looked at the head, "Elves...must have been a fight here."

They pulled out their swords, and continued cautiously to the top of the Ridge. They saw the carnage of dead horses, Warg, and several dead Orcs.

"Wonder who won," Dwalin mused. His experienced soldier's eyes could tell that the Orcs had been circling - they had trapped something. Whatever it was, it had put up a fight. Elf arrows in an Orc corpse. More Elf arrows. Now a spear - they had turned to hand-to-hand combat.

Sword wounds now appeared on the Orc bodies. A severed Orc hand here - an arm there. An Elf Guard helmet lay on the ground. "Here was your last stand." Dwalin spoke in a grudging respect. He lifted the helmet up and saw it - Kili's knife.

Dwalin dropped to his knees and cried out a curse to Mahal. This was not the sign he had been praying for.


	14. Chapter 14: The River

**(Author note: Action will be slowing down for a few chapters to develop characters and interactions, and cover ground geographically.)**

"Kili, wake up. Wake up." He was dreaming that he and Fili were small, and he had lost Fili in the scrubby pines at the foot of Blue Mountain.

Rhavaniel shook him awake, "I have something to show you."

Kili was startled by her appearance. He had not seen her with her black hair loose and hanging down to her knees in waves. She was scrubbed clean, and her leggings and blouse were neatly restored.

He rose, stiff and sore, from the bower. His pack was already gone, but his bow and quiver, which he had laid beside himself when he slept, were still at hand. Rhavaniel gathered up the bedroll for him.

They trudged silently for a quarter league. Kili could hear the stream before he could see it, and let out a sigh of relief.

Rhavaniel turned and smiled. "I found it last night and washed my clothes. I would have washed yours as well, but I thought it unwise to wake you."

The thought of an Elf doing common labor was unimaginable to Kili, and here was one offering to wash his clothes. He supposed even the high and mighty Elves got dirty and someone had to get down on bended knees and scrub the floors. He just never thought he'd find an Elf to admit to it.

"You had no need of sleep?" Kili asked.

"I prayed for a long time last night, for the souls of my brethren. I felt much better afterwards, and was able to focus again on what we needed - fire, food, water." She gestured to their provisions. She had set up their supplies by the stream, with a lembas pudding cooking on the primus and her jacket still drying by the fire.

"That's the last of the bread and berries," she said, "but here is good news."

She bent down to the shallow edge of the stream and brushed at the silt. The morning sun caused it to sparkle. "Gold dust. This stream comes from Lonely Mountain. The men of Lake-Town sluice all the Lonely Mountain streams for bits of gold. Your second rendezvous point with your companions is under the shadow of Lonely Mountain, you said? We can follow this up, have a sure water supply, and cover our scent."

Kili "That may take much longer than a crow's flight"

Rhavaniel, "Aye, but this may be the safest way. What would your Uncle do?"

Kili hesitated. Uncle Thorin had spent weeks in an Elf prison, refusing to tell that they planned to enter Lonely Mountain. Uncle Thorin would have lied to this Elf, which is exactly what Kili had done when they met. Kili had told her they were heading to the Iron Hills to find work. Kili certainly could not share the true nature of their quest, or the limited time they had to succeed.

Kili mumbled, "He'd take the fastest way."

Rhavaniel, "But what direction is that?"

Kili "Point taken. We should follow the river one day and night, and judge again tomorrow. It will at least take us to higher ground and show us more possibilities." He pulled the cook pot off the primus, for the pudding was done, and allowed it to cool.

"You shall have to share this time." Rhavaniel told him as she began to braid her hair. She gestured to a pooled part of the stream, where she had left soap and some clean cloth. Kili was grateful for a chance to wash his hands and face, the least he should do before sharing breakfast.


	15. Chapter 15: Fishing Lessons

Rhavaniel and Kili put down their packs to drink and rest from the noon sun. Kili was lost in thought when the arrow came down in the water, not two feet from him. It was Rhavaniel's - she had warned him she was going to try fishing, but the arrow had startled him.

Kili, "I don't care that Elves never miss. Don't shoot anything that close to me again unless it is about to bite me."

Rhavaniel was too happy with her first catch to be worried about Kili's mildest scolding to date.

"I told you I could hunt if I had to." She proudly pulled out the dead fish, shot in the head, and pulled out her arrow. "I can clean it, too." She squatted down by Kili and pulled out her whittling blade.

She opened the stomach, as she had seen done before in markets. Her family rarely if ever ate meat, and she had no interest in it herself, so this was her first attempt at cleaning a fish. "Oh, is that, is that eggs? Oh my...", the sight of the viscera disturbed her, replacing the confident grin with a queasy squint. She dropped the fish and her knife, and crawled to the stream to splash cold water on her face.

Kili laughed and picked up the fish to complete the job, "That is the best part of the fish."

"Oh, you are evil. Do not think of eating that in front of me." Rhavaniel scowled.

"Not the raw guts. The eggs, at the right time of year, are cooked into a fine relish. My mother makes the best." Kili continued the cleaning. Rhavaniel chuckled, "If the ingredients make the cook sick, that does not seem promising for the finished product."

Kili remarked, "You are quick to laugh at yourself."

Rhavaniel, "I should like to laugh at someone else but the relentless perfection of my kind allows for little opportunity. Perhaps this is why I like Dwarves so much - something to laugh at."

"Really," Kili pulled a strand of fish gut from behind her back and chased her with it until she shrieked in mock indignation.

After their diversion, and the catching of two more fish, Kili and Rhavaniel started a small fire to prepare their lunch. They decided unanimously that Kili would do the cooking.

Kili "Ready to try it?"

Rhavaniel nodded and took her first bite of fish. "This is not bad. It tastes like marsh root with a bit of pine nut. A lot of pine nut. Yes, that is what I will pretend I am eating."

Kili smiled at her. He wondered how this girl could be so very odd to him in her thoughts and actions, yet still make him feel as comfortable as he was with lifelong companions.


	16. Chapter 16: Hunting Lessons

Kili and Rhavaniel had spent an uneventful night camped by the river. There had been no sign of pursuing Orcs or Wargs. Their second day following the river unfolded much the same as the first. They were traversing a long, low valley and still had no opportunity to take their bearing.

"Before nightfall, we should reach that higher ground. We may be able to see Lonely Mountain from the treetops." Kili said as Rhavaniel climbed down from a tree.

"I saw a herd of stags up on that hill. It is a good sign that there are no Wargs up there." She reported.

Kili "Good, we might have a chance to hunt before the day is through. We are downwind of them."

They marched throughout the day. Their lunch consisted of some apples found along the path and a jar of honey that Rhavaniel had collected at Burnt Ridge before the fire. They did not stop for catching and cooking fish, for they wanted to reach higher ground before dark.

They were halfway up the hill when the sound of breaking underbrush told them the stags were on the move toward them.

Kili and Rhavaniel stood together, bows drawn. "Just like we talked about." Kili told her, "Aim for where it will be, not where it is, and follow my lead. Are you ready?" He looked at her, and she nodded. A stag galloped into view and they fired at the same time, bringing it down.

They set to butchering the animal, planning to take only what they could easily carry. Rhavaniel's initial squeamishness passed quickly, and she was able to watch and learn as Kili explained how to dress a fresh kill.

Kili "Here, throw the rest down that little gully. We don't want the Orcs sniffing it out easy."

As Rhavaniel started to drag the carcass away, she spotted something in the woods and froze. It was a Warg. His white chest and the bandage still visible on his rear leg allowed her to recognize him as the one they spared two days ago.

Rhavaniel, "He caught up to us. We're not making such good time following the water, are we?"

Kili pulled his bow and whispered, "Off to the side."

Rhavaniel instead moved closer to the Warg."He is not well enough to hunt yet."

Kili "Good. If he gets any better, he will be hunting us."

Rhavaniel dragged the carcass closer to the Warg, dropped it and backed away, "No, we did not spare him to kill him later. He is no harm to us."

The Warg eyed her cautiously before limping forward and diving in to the remains.

"We should go." Kili urged her. The gathered their packs and kept climbing the hill at a brisk pace.

When they reached the top, Kili made a fire while Rhavaniel climbed through the treetops.

"I see it!" She called down. The sun was setting. "You can view it yourself in the morning - the branches are sturdy enough. I am afraid following the river has taken us West, and if we continue to follow it, it will add many more days to our journey."

Kili nodded, "We need to cut North, then. Here, the venison is ready."

Rhavaniel took a bite. "Ugh, it tastes as if I bit my tongue!"

Kili laughed at her, "Here's the tongue, it's the best part, after the brains. I hope you know you gave your pet the best part."

With her mouth still full, she asked, "How long must I chew this before it is safe to swallow?"

Kili, "I will trade an apple for your portion of venison."

Rhavaniel, "Yes, please."

Kili sighed, "Tomorrow, I am going to have to teach you how to barter properly."


	17. Chapter 17 Bedtime Stories

Kili prepared to spend another night camped by the river. He struggled with the ridiculously long ties on the Elf bedroll. He was about to cut them when Rhavaniel interceded. "Here, let me show you what this is for."

She spotted some appropriately spaced trees, and climbed up with one length of rope. "These are meant to be tied to trees, to keep you off the ground." She jumped to the nearby trees, and secured all four corners. "It does take a bit of practice." she told him. "We Elves do this for ourselves from when we are little, needing to nap without being underfoot."

"Jump up. I will steady you." she promised.

Kili threw up his weapons first, and Rhavaniel secured them on handy branches. Kili then climbed a tree and jumped across. The bedroll swung a bit, but Rhavaniel steadied him and he found his footing.

She secured him under the covers. "I do not want you to fall out. Elves do not thrash in their sleep the way you Dwarves do."

"I do not thrash!" Kili protested.

"Humor me, then." she smiled, "I want to be sure you do not fall. See, there are many Elf ways that can used by Dwarves with a little adjustment."

"Are you going to lie down for a while and pray or think or whatever it is that you Elves do?" Kili asked.

Rhavaniel, "We could talk until you fall asleep."

"I am curious about something, if it is not too personal to ask." Kili started. "You say you are a very good liar?"

"Yes, I am. What do you want to know about that? Do you want to know if I have lied to you? I have not." Rhavaniel offered.

"No. I am curious as to how you got good at it. My brother and I lied plenty growing up, _'I don't know who cut Uncle Thorin's beard in his sleep'_..._'The neighbor's rooster died of natural causes'_..._'Fili started it_'... but my mother never believed me. How did you master it?"

Rhavaniel laughed hard enough to make the bedroll sway a bit in the trees. "I am serious." Kili told her, "This is a _survival_ skill that I am lacking."

Rhavaniel, "You are a _boy_, and as such, your lies are probably meant to cover actions that have serious consequences. I pick lies about little things, that spare people's feelings. I say things they want to believe, because it makes their lives a bit easier. I do not feel particularly guilty, so guilt is not carried in my expression."

Kili had lied to Rhavaniel about his ultimate destination when they first met in the Woods. He had not felt guilty at the time, because the lives of the entire Company depended on secrecy. As he grew to trust Rhavaniel, he feared his secret would become harder to keep from her.

"When did you figure all of this out?" Kili asked.

Rhavaniel, "I was thirteen. I was supposed to go for the next quarter-moon to the home of my eldest brother, Máfortion, and his wife, Melima. I walked in to the kitchen. Melima was cooking a large batch of cakes with her sisters, daughters, and granddaughters. She turned, saw me and sighed _'so soon?_'. I could tell that she wanted to take the words back. So, I laughed and said I came to get a nut cake because hers were the best and I was staying with a friend from school, as previously agreed. Melima was happy, and I got a whole nut cake to myself out of the lie. I wasn't lying about hers being the best. Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Seriously," Rhavaniel continued, "Was there not one lie that your mother believed?"

"When I was six, my mother had a little girl. Her name was Isa. She was blond and blue eyed, just like Fili. Dwarf women are strong, but they start off very fragile. Isa got sick one winter when she was not yet two years old, and died. A year passed, and it was close to the time when Isa died. Fili was very sad about it. Mum comforted him, then asked if I was alright. I said I could not be sad because I had no memory of her. That was the only lie my mother ever believed - that I did not remember Isa."

"You did not want her to worry about you." Rhavaniel asked.

"I wanted her to have one less thing to worry about." Kili said, "So I guess you are right. Maybe there is more to it, though. Maybe you have to _want_ the lie to be true for it to be believable?"


	18. Chapter 18: Open Ground

Kili and Rhavaniel climbed high into the trees at dawn. Rhavaniel was able to show him what she had seen last night. Lonely Mountain was Northwest, across a plane of rocky grassland. The tree-lined river they were following cut a switchback line far East, toward the rising sun, before snaking back to the Mountain.

"Following the river will put us weeks behind the others." Kili determined.

Rhavaniel was nervous. She had never seen grassland - never lived away from the shelter of trees. Only rocks, brush, and some scrubby pines lay between them and Lonely Mountain.

"What about water?" she asked.

"We will take as much as we can carry. We will ration it, and find more, I am sure. Agreed?" Kili asked.

"Agreed. I will catch fish one last time for breakfast." Rhavaniel's worries left her, replaced by curiosity. They had a plan and a purpose, and Kili was not concerned.

After a pleasant breakfast and breaking camp, they set out across the open ground. Rhavaniel was amazed at the endless grass growing taller than her knees. She took a few wistful glances back at the tree-line, and then kept her eyes on Kili for the rest of their march.

My mid-morning, a light rain began to fall.

Rhavaniel tilted her head back and opened her mouth to taste the rain.

Kili looked at her quizzically, "We still have water, you know."

Rhavaniel, "Yes, but I love rain. I imagine I can taste where the clouds have been. Have they come down from the cold, Northern wastelands? Can I taste the Sea? Have they been dusted by spices from the East? The possibilities are endless."

Kili, "Do all Elves think in such fanciful ways? Because I can assure you, when a Dwarf sees rain, all he thinks about is that he is going to get wet."

Rhavaniel laughed, "We are not practical, as you Dwarves are. I have been told I am overly fanciful, even for an Elf. Here, Practical One, take my rain cloak. I do not want it." She pulled an old Elf Guard rain cloak out of her pack. It was it dark blue and hooded. The Elvin material was far lighter in weight and more supple than anything a Dwarf would have owned, not that Kili had a rain cloak with him. She put it over him and Kili kissed her wet cheek.

"You are right", he said, "I _can_ taste it. This rain has been playing with Elves."


	19. Chapter 19: Living Off The Land

"I know all of the edible and medicinal plants in Mirkwood, and most of those in the surrounding woods, but I don't know anything about these open lands." Rhavaniel stated.

"There's a good spot to look." Kili pointed. They soon found wild leeks, and began to dig. "I can put this in a stew with some of the venison, and I think you will finally like my cooking." Kili grinned.

Rhavaniel turned to a nearby plant with red stalk and yellow tufts. She rubbed the yellow buds with her fingers, looking for familiarity in the scent. "This grows in Mirkwood, but I have never seen it used."

"Mugwort," Kili told her, "Leave it. You can spice food with a little bit of it, if you like it, but mostly it's used to make a strong tea that kills parasites. We don't have any parasites, I promise. I cooked the meat through properly and everything else we've had has been clean and fresh."

"I did not know you were an herbalist." she said.

"I'm not. Not like Oin. But, every Dwarf knows a thing or two about cooking, and keeping healthy with what's handy. One time, when Fili and I were little, we lived a winter away from Blue Mountain. Bofur and Bifur and their near kin had agreed to sign up for stonecutting and blacksmith work in Rohan, and convinced quite a lot of us to go. They were building a grand new stable and needed all the skilled craftsman they could hire, even Dwarves. We thought there'd be good wages, and winter not as harsh for a change.

Not long after we Dwarrows got there, the Building Master decided to pay half our wages in food, and the food was _bad_. No grocer or butcher would sell to us, because they didn't want to get on the wrong side of the Building Master, or they were already in on the deal.

Snow had already come, so there was no trekking back. Our people finished the job for half in gold and half in rotten cabbage and moldy bread. Mum had us all drink mugwort tea by the gallon so as not to get sick. We used to joke that's why Fili's so blond - mugwort started growing out of his head."

"I heard they had a good King in Rohan." Rhavaniel said quietly.

"As if a king knows the plight of the average blacksmith among his own people, let along the traveling labor. Did you ever have a chat with your King Thranduil about the outrageous cost of coal for the forge? I think not." Kili pointed out.

"I imagined that if the King was wise and ruled well, the proof was that the cost of coal and bread was reasonable for all." she pondered.

"That's how Uncle Thorin would have had it in Blue Mountain, if he could have. You can't provide for your people while in exile, and that weighs on him. Once we're..._if_ we're ever back at Erebor, and Uncle Thorin was King Under the Mountain, you would not have to imagine what a good King looks like.

But back to Rohan. Uncle Thorin was in a rage the whole winter. _'They feed the horses better than us'_ he'd grumble.

The Building Master rode around on a big sorrel, nasty as he was. It bit Fili once. Uncle Thorin got the Building Master back good, though. A well fed horse is pretty tasty, and we were promised food." Kili stood up, having filled the small sack with leeks.

Rhavaniel was almost speechless. Almost. "I see you smiling. You are merely teasing me."

Kili "No. I'm smiling because after all these years, it's still funny."


	20. Chapter 20: History Lessons

Kili, "So, how old are you?"

Rhavaniel, "I am 48."

Kili nodded, and Rhavaniel added, "You have no idea what that means, do you?"

Kili shook his head.

Rhavaniel, "Well, we Elves essentially stop growing by aged 50, so I still have nearly two years for a miracle."

Kili, "I noticed you were short..."

"I am still taller than you." she was quick to point out.

Kili, "Barely."

Yes," Rhavaniel replied. "I know. I am Avari by birth, and they are a bit shorter and darker than their Silvan cousins, though that does not completely explain me. I am supposed to receive a letter when I am 100, left by my second parents. I used to beg to see that letter early. I thought it might answer my questions about my first parents. It didn't."

Kili "What?"

"Oh," Rhavaniel replied, "I stole the letter and read it already. As if you could call that stealing - the letter was _mine_ after all."

Kili snickered. That was something a Dwarf would do and say.

"My second parents could not tell me anything because they did not _know_ what happened to my first parents." She explained, "A couple they met while visiting the Avari settlement said they needed to go on a Quest, to seek answers to the Great Darkening of Mirkwood, and needed to leave their child with someone for not more than 3 months. Fifteen months later, no one had heard from my first parents. They delayed their planned exodus to the Undying Lands for yet another year for my sake, but no one came for me, and no one in the Avari Settlement would speak to them. My second parents were so upset at the Avari tribe for not helping, they thought it best that I be raised Silvan. All of their children and grandchildren agreed to raise me as if I had been born to them. They have been very good to me. I am glad that I read the letter, because there should be a limit on how many years a soul should carry false hope, don't you agree?"

"Agreed." said Kili, thinking of the 171 years his own people had been hoping for a return to Lonely Mountain. Their hopes would not be false any longer, if the Company of Thorin could all just reach the Mountain in time.

"Now, on my 100th birthday, I shall have to feign a look of surprise when I pretend to read it for the first time." Rhavaniel smiled.

"Why 100?" Kili asked.

Rhavaniel, "An Elf is not considered a true adult until they are 100 years old. That is when we are allowed to marry, join the Guard, or learn the greater mysteries of our people. I will be done with school when I am 100, for I already know I will be a blacksmith and arms maker and not a scribe or a healer. I could make you a decent sword now with the skills I have, but it would not be a true Elvin sword, that glowed in the presence of Orcs and Goblins. I will start to learn those skills, and earn a wage rather than my keep. I am looking forward to turning 100."

Kili, "I think that was a long about way of saying you are still a baby Elf."

Rhavaniel, "And how old are you?"

Kili, "I am 77."

Rhavaniel, "And that means...?"

Kili, "It means I am grown up and done with school, for a start. Dwarves also do not marry before they are 100, if they marry at all. We live to be about 250 if not taken by sickness or war. Uncle Thorin is ...hmm... 195 now. A very good age. He is still a strong warrior, has fought many battles, and is mature enough to be King."

Rhavaniel, "You are very proud of your Uncle."

"Yes." Kili admitted, "I am proud to call him Uncle, and proud to call him my King - something I am sure is not often said of your King Thranduil."

"I am truly sorry that you and your Company were imprisoned in Mirkwood, but even a 'baby Elf' knows that a King must act in the best interests of his own people - which may be counter to the interests of others." Rhavaniel stated.

"A King's responsibility is to carry the honor of his tribe on his shoulders. When vows are broken and allies abandoned, the King diminishes his people." Kili retorted.

"Have you thought of how diminished both of our tribes would be if King Thranduil had led his entire Guard into a slaughter and Erebor was still lost?" She asked.

"We would not have lost Erebor if the Elves had kept their vows!" Kili shot back.

"How can you profess to know potential outcomes of events 171 years past? Neither of us was there." Rhavaniel was becoming less apologetic and more indignant with Kili.

"My Uncle Thorin was there, and Balin, and my mother. They know what happened. Every Dwarf of the Longbeards knows what happened. We grow up hearing it at home. We learn our history in school. What do they teach Elves in school - that King Thranduil was the voice of reason rather than the fleeing shadow of cowardice?"

"I have no idea! The Desolation of Smaug is not in my history book!" Rhavaniel fumed.

"It is only the most important event in the history of Dwarves - a sworn ally - in the lifetime of your current King, and they do not even bother to teach of it in Elf school?" Kili yelled at her now.

"I told you, I skip a lot of school!" Rhavaniel yelled back at him.

"It is pointless to even converse with you on this subject! All Elves are willfully ignorant of their own transgressions! At least you come by your ignorance honestly!" Kili spat.

He pulled his hood up over his head and turned away from her. He picked up his pace, and he could tell that Rhavaniel had slowed hers, putting some distance between them. He wished that he had better control of his temper, because Rhavaniel had not earned his ire the way the rest of the Elves had. Kili believed what he said about King Thranduil and Elves in general but instantly regretted what he said about her personally. Those words were unkind, unfair, and untrue.


	21. Chapter 21: Common Ground

Kili and Rhavaniel trudged silently throughout the rest of the day. They walked far apart, ostensibly to better scrounge for the dried branches they would need to start a fire that night. No words had been spoken since Kili's outburst earlier.

"I should apologize," Kili told himself. He wondered if he could get away with apologizing to her personally (which he sincerely wanted to do) or if he would be expected to apologize to all Elf-kind. Fili had told him that if he ever got into an argument with a girl, he would be expected to apologize early and often, even for things he had not done or said. Kili was not sure he could with any sincerity take back the things he said about other Elves. What if his apology was not good enough, and escalated into yet another argument? Fili had warned him about those outcomes.

Kili looked ahead carefully for a place to camp. He chose a spot with several good-sized boulders for shelter from the wind, and a few short trees to remind Rhavaniel of home.

"Here!" Kili called over, and dropped his sack of kindling on the barren portion of ground. Rhavaniel joined him and silently dropped her sack beside his, then retreated to what passed for a tree line.

"I have waited too long to apologize.", Kili thought "She will expect me to take back my words about King Thranduil himself at this point."

Kili started a fire, and set about making the stew he had promised. When it was done, he looked around for her, and she was gone. "Rhavaniel!" he called out. Her pack was still there.

"Here." she called in reply.

He looked up. She sat midway in the tallest tree, which was not even twelve feet in height. She looked like a giant sitting in a child's chair, and Kili could not help but laugh. "You look ridiculous!"

"Thank Ilúvatar there is no one I am trying to impress out here." she replied dryly.

Kili did not completely regret laughing at her, since this presented a chance to apologize for a lesser offense.

"I am very, very sorry that I laughed. You must be uncomfortable. Please come down and eat with me." he offered.

"I am not hungry." she said, "You may save my portion for breakfast, thank you."

Kili sighed. "Are you going to sleep up there?"

"I am not going to sleep, and this is the best vantage point we have for the night, so here I stay." Rhavaniel replied.

Kili ate alone in silence. He covered the remains of stew and put the last of the kindling on the fire to keep away the cold night air. He retreated to his bedroll on the ground and tried not to think of how much more upset Rhavaniel might be in the morning.

Kili dreamed a memory from childhood. He was with his entire family. His father was still alive. An Orc invasion had forced them to flee Blue Mountain's North Range for the South Range, and the only way to get there quickly was by taking a ship across the Gulf of Lune. Grown Dwarves, warriors, would have rather faced a hoard of Orcs that cross deep water. Dwarves could not swim. It was not for lack of strength, or will, but that they sank like rocks. Ever since they were little, Dwarflings had been warned to stay away from deep water. Kili was scared, but his father held him close and said, "You will be safe. I would put you and your brother on my shoulders and walk across the bottom of the Gulf. You would not even be wet. I promise."

Kili awoke at the break of dawn to a cacophony of birds. They truly had returned to Lonely Mountain, and their path was directly over Kili's head. As he sat up, he looked around. He had expected the campfire to be a few faint embers. Instead, it was a roaring blaze. He saw not less than 20 arrows in the ground forming a wide circle around him. The victims appeared to be 6 or 7 field rats, one snake, some frogs, several giant grey slugs, and what might have once been an overly large cricket.

"Rhavaniel?" he called softly. She was not in her little tree perch. He jumped up on to a boulder and looked for her. He spotted her walking back to camp, arms loaded with more kindling. He sighed with relief and waved.

When he jumped down, she was coming around from the other side of the rocks. He ducked just in time to miss being hit in the head with the largest stick she was carrying.

"You slept through all of it!" she yelled.

Kili was taken aback. He looked around - at the fire and the arrows - and he understood. This open ground was to Rhavaniel what deep water was to him. She had been frightened. He had told her to follow him across, and she did so because she trusted him. Instead of offering her comfort, he had yelled at her and left her alone with her fears.

Kili took the rest of the firewood out of her arms and placed it on the ground. Rhavaniel sniffed, eyes red from fighting back tears. "I am sorry." He said, "Sorry I judged you. Sorry you were frightened." He put his arms around her and held her close. "We will be safe. I promise."

He believed it himself, and she believed him.


	22. Chapter 22: Lightning

Their second day on open ground fared better. Kili took the time to explain to Rhavaniel that most open ground wildlife was as slow as their cousins in Mirkwood, and far less poisonous. They had mended their misunderstandings and returned to a comfortable mutual trust.

The lands they now crossed had once been fertile farmland. Though long untended, they found remnants of agriculture. Kili showed Rhavaniel how to look for bilberry bushes and petty-dwarf roots. These were plants that she was unfamiliar with, but which Dwarves had taken with them into exile and cultivated on Blue Mountain. They ate the berries and filled sacks with roots to cook on the evening fire.

"We might find a well, since there were farms through this area." Kili said.

"What should we look for?" Rhavaniel asked.

Kili, "Foundation stones, or circles of stones to keep children and animals from falling into the well holes. The grass has become so tall here, it will be difficult to tell."

"I would have liked to have seen this when it was built up with Dwarf homes." Rhavaniel mused.

Kili, "Dwarrows didn't live here, Men did. We owned the land, but we preferred to live underground, in the Mountain. Men lived above ground, so they tended the farms and we traded with them. It worked out well for a long time."

Rhavaniel, "Is that how things are with your neighbors in Blue Mountain?"

"Not so much." and Kili left it at that. "I think we might get a storm." and he pointed to ominous clouds rolling down from the North. "We should try to make it to those distant trees and take shelter."

They were both young and fit creatures, and ran for the several hours until they were able to reach the only decent bit of trees. It was mid-afternoon, and the wind had begun to howl.

They set up the bedroll, just a few feet off the ground, beneath the trees, and secured their packs. It was not safe to start a fire.

"We should try to collect the rain." Rhavaniel said.

"There won't be any." Kili replied. "It is a windstorm. There will be dry lightning. We should be safe under the trees, though."

"We are low on water. Perhaps I should run back to the river. I can run the rest of the day and night without sleep, and I will be back to you by morning. I am not afraid." Rhavaniel suggested.

"No." Kili said. "I have been assuring you open ground is safe, and it mostly is. But in a lightning storm, it is the worst place to be. Lightning seeks metal - even the iron in Dwarf blood is enough to call it down."

Rhavaniel, "What if I left my weapons? And I am not Dwarf - perhaps lightning will not seek me."

"That is just..." Kili was about to say reckless and completely foolhardy, but stopped. He realized how much he sounded like Fili. Fili had been the voice of reason, keeping Kili in line when he wanted to prove himself with some act of daring. Kili had been trying not to think of where Fili was, and how much he missed his older brother and feared for his safety. Rhavaniel looked at Kili as if he knew what he was doing - the way Kili had always looked at Fili. Now Kili wondered if Fili, a mere five years older, had been guessing as much as Kili was now.

Kili thought of what Fili would say. "We stay together. We're stronger together."

The wind howled, and they retreated to the bedroll, pulling the covers over their heads.

Rhavaniel, "How did you become an archer? We Elflings practically learn to walk by pulling ourselves up on our first toy bow, while it seems rare to find a Dwarf bowman."

Kili, "Dwarflings are usually short and surefooted - they can swing anything without toppling over. I was all long arms and legs. My father told me to stop thinking of that as a weakness, and make it a strength. He came back from the neighboring village with a bow soon after, and it suited me perfectly."

"Not that I gave up on learning the sword. It just took me longer than Fili to learn. I did not get good at it until Uncle Thorin helped me make a sword of the right length and balance. Fili is a Master of two-sword fighting. He stopped taking lessons three years ago, and started giving them to the younger Dwarves. It is unheard of for someone so young to teach."

Rhavaniel, "As much as I love the forge, you would think I would be a master at swordplay, but I am not. That requires a sparring partner. I do not have a friend of the same age and interest."

Kili, "Couldn't you take lessons?"

Rhavaniel sighed, "Sword lessons are a privilege, and I must confess that I have lost that privilege more times than I can count."

Kili, "Then we will spar tomorrow. You will need to learn how to wield that sword properly, and soon." He gestured to the Elf Guard Glennodad's sword, which they kept between them so that it might warn them of approaching Orcs.


	23. Chapter 23: Schoolyard

Kili and Rhavaniel awoke hungry and thirsty, having been unable to start a fire and cook the roots that they had gathered the day before. The storm had passed, and the skies appeared to be clear. They gathered fallen branches to start a fire.

Kili, "We will roast all of the roots whole instead of boil them, to save water. We will get off to a late start, but we should eat now. We may not have opportunity later."

Rhavaniel, "And you will teach me to fight with sword?"

"Yes." Kili replied, "but first I must ask, have you even been in a fight? By that I mean, have you hit another child, or been hit?"

Rhavaniel, "No, we all get along beautifully."

Kili, "You are the only Avari in a village of Silvan Elves, ruled by an inbred little pack of Sindar snobs, and you were never teased?"

Rhavaniel, "Of course I was teased. I am a short, feral-haired child of the forge - they call me the Elf that Mahal built."

Kili was indignant, "And you never hit anyone for that insult?"

Rhavaniel laughed, "It was meant in good hearted jest. Can you tell me that description never crossed _your_ mind when looking at me?"

Kili had to admit, Rhavaniel was the most Dwarf-like Elf he had met, but she was still mostly incomprehensible to him.

"When someone insults a Dwarf, they have enough sense to fight over it, that they will not be insulted _ever_ again." Kili informed her.

"Is fighting common among Dwarflings?" Rhavaniel asked. "Your people do seem rather...well... easily offended. Does that attitude start in childhood? Are girl Dwarves the same way?"

Kili, "Girl dwarves are worse, actually. They fight each other. They fight boys, which is particularly unpleasant, because a boy will not hit a girl Dwarf back. "

"Why would you not hit someone who hit you first?", Rhavaniel quizzed, "That seems impractical."

Kili, "It is a matter of honor. Boys do not hit girls."

Rhavaniel, "I have noticed that Dwarf practicality disappears when the rules of honor become involved. Your rules of honor are so complex, though, I cannot follow them. It does not seem very honorable of a dwarf _girl_ to hit a _boy_ when she knows he will not hit her in return."

And now Rhavaniel had insulted all Dwarf girls. Kili closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "She is trying to understand." he told himself. Now that he thought on it, he may have asked a very similar question of his Uncle Thorin when he was a boy.

"We will discuss honor at a later date, " Kili promised. "Back to fighting. Fights in the schoolyard served me well. They toughened me. Taught me how to hit, and how to be unafraid of being hit in return. Elves should learn to fight early - to get their hands dirty. You have been sheltered."

Rhavaniel, "Did you fight much as a child?"

Kili sighed, "Daily."

Rhavaniel, "Daily?! That seems barbaric. And how often did your brother Fili fight in school?"

Kili, "Also daily, until I did well enough on my own that no one picked fights with me."

Rhavaniel, "This expression, 'pick fight' - they let you carry your pick axes in school? Was your school in a mine?"

"No, no, no. Just... just make a fist and try to hit me." Kili snapped.

Rhavaniel hesitated, then complied. Kili easily caught her fist in his hand and held it. "You were slow, and your eyes told me exactly where the fist was going to go. Your opponent is much, much stronger than you are. He can block your blows. You have to use your speed. Now, see if you can get your hand back."

Rhavaniel pulled back as hard as she could, but could not free herself.

"If I had grabbed your sword hand, I would have run you through by now. Think." Kili calmly told her. He released her hand and she fell backwards. "And stay on your feet."

"I would do better fighting in trees." Rhavaniel grumbled, getting up.

Kili, "I am sure you would, but you will rarely have the luxury of picking - I mean, selecting - the battleground. Try again."

Rhavaniel continued to try heartily. Kili taught her to feign blows, break grips, and duck below punches. It was tiring and bruising, but they continued until breakfast was ready. They sat down to eat. Rhavaniel kept her eyes down.

Kili asked, "Are you angry with me?"

Rhavaniel, "No! I am very grateful to you. I did not know that I was inadequately prepared to defend myself. I am angry at myself, I suppose."

Kili, "You did very well, actually. I'll grant this to Elves, you are quick and learn fast. I am trying to concentrate years worth of experience in a few hours, so don't be hard on yourself. We will discuss sword fighting while we walk, and spar at mid-day."


	24. Chapter 24: Lessons Never End

Rhavaniel knew the formal techniques of fencing very well. Like all Elves, she was fast and graceful. But she had never truly tried to fight anyone before. Kili watched her demonstrate her skills while they walked, and her actions struck him as dancing rather than fighting.

Kili, "We don't have practice swords, so put the sword in the sheath, that we do not cut each other."

Rhavaniel complied. Kili realized how hard it would be for a Dwarf to instruct an Elf. Though they were essentially the same height, all similarities stopped there. "Make your weakness a strength," his father would have said.

Kili, 'You need to know that a real swordfight is not like sparring. A real fight is over in less than a minute, and is usually determined by who lands the first blow."

"You are smaller in weight than the smallest Orc we've seen. You need to dart away, jump away, or run away if you must until you find _your_ spot to turn and fight. If you have to block a blow, you are too close. Think about the distance between you and your opponent. If their sword is shorter than yours, they will try to get within your guard."

They sparred and discussed strategy as they walked. The terrain continued to become rockier as they advanced toward Lonely Mountain. Kili was impressed by how well Rhavaniel kept her footing and never made the same mistake twice.

It was Rhavaniel who stopped and held up her hand, "I think we are about to switch back to hunting lessons." and she pointed to a small herd of chamois on a slope.

Kili grinned. "That will be worth the interruption."

Rhavaniel. "I can circle around that outcropping, and startle them in your direction."

Kili, "As long as we are in sight of each other..." and she was gone before he could finish the sentence.

Kili quietly lowered his pack and drew his bow. He watched Rhavaniel running, low to the ground, also with her bow drawn. In a moment, she was peeking up from the larger boulders. Sure enough, she had the herd moving in Kili's direction. They began to fan out. He carefully chose his target and fired. It was a clean kill.

Rhavaniel joined him on the craggy ground. "There has to be water nearby for animals this size to thrive." she speculated, jumping up on to a rock, "I think I can smell it. We Elves smell better than any other race. I think it is close."

"Go look, then." Kili told her, "but stay close and stay sharp. I will do the butchering myself this time."

Rhavaniel took several long leaps onto rocks, to put the smell of butchered chamois behind her. She closed her eyes and breathed deep. She was right, water was nearby.

A little further away and she found it, a trickle from an underground spring exited a crack between boulders. She drank - it was fresh and cold. She thanked Ilúvatar, and slowly filled her water skin.

Kili looked up from the butchering. He thought he heard something approaching. It wasn't Rhavaniel returning - he had taught her how to call a warning and listen for his. It could be anything that had caught the scent of blood.

He slowly reached for his bow, on the ground very nearby. A black arrow intercepted his reach. He looked up, and found himself surrounded by Orcs.


	25. Chapter 25: Black Speech

Kili saw four small Orcs. _Snaga_, he had heard them called. It meant slave. Dwalin, who had been a sword for hire, was fluent in Orkish. Dwalin had taught Fili and Kili a few words, something he had hoped the boys would never need to know.

Two of the small Orcs had bows on him, and another two had spears. There were two tall Orcs, also with bows, and their leader, a huge Orc on Warg.

This was a much smaller search party than he and Rhavaniel had faced on Burnt Ridge. But he was still outnumbered seven to one, and the element of surprise was all theirs.

Kili still had a knife in his hand, and he intended to go down fighting if they did not end him with arrows first. He wondered if he should take his chances throwing the knife. At least this would end quicker. Their leader seemed to be silently debating Kili's fate.

Kili realized the Orc was staring at his arrows - his three-headed arrows with bright orange fletch. The same kind of arrows Kili had put in the back of the Orc leader, Naur, at Burnt Ridge.

The Orc spoke, and Kili could make out some of it. He knew he was being called a filthy Dwarf. 'Amal' meant 'where', and he heard 'Lul Gijak-Ishi', a term Dwalin himself had used for 'Elf' many times, until Uncle Thorin found out what else it meant, and forbid Dwalin from using such language in front of his nephews.

Kili locked his eyes on the Orc Leader. He would not call Rhavaniel's name, and he would not let his eyes betray her with a glance in her last direction.

The Orc leader smirked, and said words that Kili did not understand. But Kili knew the last phrase 'Amal shufar, at rrug' meant 'Where there is a whip, there is a way' and he knew they planned to take him alive.


	26. Chapter 26: Tested

Rhavaniel ran back to share the good news of finding water with Kili.

She coo'd like a dove to warn him of her approach, because Kili had determined her brown owl hoot was a disaster. He did not hoot back at her, so she slowed and raised her bow.

She took a cautious glance around the rocks where she had left Kili. To her amazement, she saw the Elf Guard Vehiron standing with his back to her. His clothes were as torn and dirty as hers, but she could tell it was an Elf Guard uniform, and she knew his silhouette. He had also escaped Burnt Ridge, and by the grace of Ilúvatar had caught up with them!

"Vehiron!, "she called, and lowered her bow. He turned, and she realized that an Orc stood before her. But it had been Vehiron - that was his face, now twisted and grey, staring at her with hatred. A few short days ago, this had been one of her own kind, willing to fight to the death to defend her. Before that, in Mirkwood, he had been the favorite father of any of her friends. She had been in his home for dinner. He had helped her and his son with astronomy, his dearest subject when he had been in school. He was often at the West Forge for Guard business, and never failed to make time to speak with her.

Now Glennodad rose from the tall grass, a twisted grey monstrosity of his former self - and covered in blood. She recalled her grief at letting him slip away from her and into the hands of the Orcs at Burnt Ridge. When Kili slept and Rhavaniel had endless hours to herself in the dark, her mind did not find peace as she claimed. Her memories took her back to Burnt Ridge, and a thousand scenarios in which she had not lost Glennodad. Now, the only regret she would ever have was that she had not put an arrow through his heart and spared him whatever abominable acts did this to him.

Rhavaniel raised her bow, but what was left of Vehiron was too close to her and grabbed it. She did the only thing she could think of - she gave up her grip on the bow to take the arrow in both hands and shove it into Vehiron's chest.

He spit black blood and clawed at her, but she pulled away. Glennodad was approaching now, his broken leg had been braced straight. Rhavaniel turned and ran. She was faster than him now, at least. Where was Kili? She despaired that he might already be dead in that tall grass.

She struggled to free her sword since it had been peace-tied to the sheath during her sparring with Kili. Glennodad had a knife in his hand, she was sure, but did not know what other weapon he might have carried. "An arrow would already be in my back if he had a bow handy." she thought grimly.

She circled the rock formation, with the glowing sword drawn. If children's games were all she had for strategy, that is what she would use. She snuck up behind a limping Glennodad, and struck quickly as he awkwardly spun around to face her. She took off his head, with his own sword.

Kili was right. It was over in less than a minute, and the first blow determined the outcome. She did not feel the thrill of triumph or survival. She felt like a coward. She was a coward because she did not want to walk over to the blood splattered tall grass and find Kili dead.


	27. Chapter 27: Tested

The Orcs had taken Kili with brutal efficiency. Ronkûr ran him down with the Warg, and the four smaller Orcs were on him, beating him, before he could even get breath back in his lungs.

They stripped him of weapons, and his coat and boots to be certain nothing was hidden. They tied him, and dragged him to higher ground. "They want to be sure she can hear me scream." Kili knew.

Ronkûr put Kili on his knees, with hands tied in front of him. The Orc stank like rotten meat and sulfur. He brushed the stubble on Kili's face, 'foshnu Vok', calling him a baby Dwarf. Kili was not trying to understand the Orc any longer. He needed to concentrate on not making a sound, no matter what happened.

Even an Orc as unimaginative as Ronkûr knew that a young Dwarf and an even younger Elf traveling away from the homes of Elf and Man and toward the lair of Smaug were part of some greater scheme. A lost part, no doubt. He should be taking the Dwarf back to his Master immediately for questioning. That is what Naur would have done - Naur was a leader. Ronkûr was a thug who inherited a portion of Naur's band. Ronkûr did not aspire to be anything other than a thug. That little Elf girl had put in arrow in his thigh at Burnt Ridge, and she would be his prize if he had to flay this Dwarf alive.

The first punch was to the jaw, and Kili's mouth filled with blood. The second punch was to the gut, and he spit out all of the blood and the contents of his stomach. The snaga Orcs cackled. They had been disappointed that they were not allowed to share in the chamois this Dwarf had just killed, but at least they were about to be entertained.

The big Orc put his hand on the back of Kili's neck and pushed his head down onto the rock. Kili heard the hiss of leather sailing through the air and realized the Orc truly did have a whip. The first strike tore through his shirt and his skin. The pain made Kili hiss out all the air in his lungs. Inhaling made the pain worse, and he could only take a small gasp of air. He hoped that by the grace of Mahal he would lose consciousness before he broke.

Ronkûr was too skilled in interrogation to allow that to happen. He pulled Kili's head up, making it easier to breath. The Orc did know Common Speech, and he switched to it now, "Call her."

Kili shook his head, no. The Orc pushed Kili's head down on the rock again. He was not going to stop after one blow this time.


	28. Chapter 28: The End of Mercy

Ronkûr was growing impatient. Torture was an amusement for him - something he could enjoy for days on end with the right partner. But when torture was a means to an end, as it was now, he burned with frustration. He found himself sorely tempted to snap the stubborn Dwarf's neck and take his chances sniffing out the Elf's trail before it grew colder. He doubted the tracking skills of his group, though. He had been given the worst snaga of the lot, a disobedient Warg, and the two newest Orcs with which to prove himself. They had found Kili and Rhavaniel by chance, not by skill.

Ronkûr decided to think, which he hated, and use Common Speech, which he hated even more.

He pulled Kili's head up off the ground once more. "She abandoned you." he hissed in Kili's ear. "Flower bloods do not fight. They promise Dwarf friendship, but they lie. They run."

Ronkûr twisted Kili around to face Lonely Mountain. "Elf stay home - Dwarf lose home. It is their way. You should curse her. Curse her loud, for your God to hear."

A curse did echo across the open ground, but it came from Ronkûr, not Kili. Rhavaniel's arrow pierced the back of his thick neck and exited the front of his throat. He dropped to his knees, gurgling blood. One snaga fell with an arrow to his head, and other shrieked with an arrow to his chest.

Rhavaniel reached the top of the outcropping and dropped her bow for her sword. "Leave him be!" she commanded the two snaga left standing. They snarled at her and drew their own blades.

They had made a mistake taking their eyes off of Kili. He was able to grab the small utility ax that a dead snaga Orc had stolen from him. He brought it down on the foot of the nearest Orc, slicing through bones and crippling him.

The last Orc saw that he was alone in this fight, turned, and ran. Rhavaniel had not expecting that outcome and hesitated. She could not leave him alive to bring help. Mercy was a luxury she could no longer afford. She chased after him.

Kili cut the bonds on his hands with the ax. The Orc he had crippled was panicked and shrieking, unable to even think enough to bind off the wound and stop the loss of blood. Kili brought the ax down on the creature's head and silenced him.

All that was left alive on the outcrop was Kili, and a dying Ronkûr. The Orc still had the whip gripped in one hand with the other hand on his throat. Kili stared at him. He put one foot on Ronkûr's chest to brace himself, grabbed the arrow with both hands, and slowly pulled the remains of the shaft through the Orc's neck. The arrow had been the only thing stopping the bleeding. Ronkûr was finished.


	29. Chapter 29: Shelter

Rhavaniel returned to the outcrop, her clothes bloody from the execution of the last Orc. He had flailed and begged for mercy. Her inexperience prevented her from landing a decisive, killing blow. It was a brutal and prolonged ordeal that Rhavaniel hoped would never be repeated.

She ran to Kili, who was back on the ground, dizzy from blood loss. She offered him the water skin she was still carrying. "I thought you were dead." she sobbed.

Kili spit out the first mouthful of water, tainted with blood and bile. She helped him take another drink.

"Check." he managed to say. She knew what he meant. She visited all four bodies and cut their throats to be sure. She came back with his boots.

Rhavaniel was shocked at Kili's injuries, "We need to close these wounds." Kili nodded in agreement - he could still feel blood running down his side.

"I will be straight back." She promised.

Kili, "Warg."

Rhavaniel, "Warg? I did not see one. I will be careful."

She ran to retrieve their packs. She was grateful for the Elf Guard medicinal package they had taken from the Watchtower. It was supplied with sealed strips of cloth, soaked in medicine and boiled tree sap. When allowed to dry over a wound, it served as a second skin. She would not have to use the curved needle and thread packed for the more serious injuries involving cut muscle tissue. She did not trust her sewing skills under normal circumstances, and her hands were still shaking .

After cleaning and patching Kili's back, she looked at his other injuries. His mouth had stopped bleeding, and he was keeping down water. They were already out of water again.

Rhavaniel, "I will have to leave you to get more water. I am sorry." and took up all the water skins. It seemed interminably long for the trickle of water to fill them.

When she got back, Kili had put on his boots and gathered his weapons.

Kili, "We need to get our things, and keep moving."

She ran back to the location of the chamois, checking that Glennodad and Vehiron were indeed dead. She discovered with dismay that her second quiver had been trampled and most of her arrows broken. She picked up the Orc knives, Kili's coat and sword, and the meat that was intact - they still had to eat.

When she returned to the outcropping, she said "I think there is an underground river. We should follow it for our best chance of being near water and more game."

Kili was dressed, with bow and quiver slung carefully over his shoulder.

"I can manage both packs for a while.", Rhavaniel said. "Let the dressing set properly. We will find shelter soon and rest."

They walked slowly through the foothills, with Rhavaniel leading the way. She could definitely smell water now. They found a cascade - a small waterfall where a portion of the underground river ran over surface rocks before sinking back into the depths of the ground.

They stopped to rest. Rhavaniel took off her blouse, stiffened with dried blood, and rinsed it in the stream. The stink of Orc blood on it was still choking her. Her chemise and leggings were equally filthy, but cleaning them would be a luxury.

Rhavaniel spotted several stone cylinders near them. They were short - nearly covered in grass - and showed signs of caving in. "Are those wells?", she asked Kili.

Kili, "No. They are smokestacks for a Dwarf home under this hill. The entrance must be nearby unless it caved in ages ago."

Rhavaniel explored the ground around the smokestacks in widening circles while Kili rested. There were no weak spots, or signs of a former passage.

She walked back to the cascade and leaned against the rocks, disappointed. That is when she saw it - a hole in the largest rock at the height of her waist. She reached in, and felt the lever. The rock was just a shell - a doorway. She ripped up the sod at the base of the door to allow it to swing open. Kili had pulled out their last lantern and lit it.

"I'm ready." Kili said. They both had swords in hand when Rhavaniel pulled the stone door open.


	30. Chapter 30: Haunted Hills

A blast of cold air greeted them when they opened the door. They could hear the sound of moving water, but nothing was visible in the blackness. Rhavaniel coo'd like a dove to see if anything moved in response. The sound echoed, then nothing. Rhavaniel cautiously raised the lantern to the entryway.

They saw an open floor of stone. An ancient oil lamp, covered in cobwebs was on the right. It looked as though the walls had once been painted white and yellow, to brighten the place.

"Welcome." Kili said, pointing to Dwarf rune marks on the floor. He lifted the chimney on the oil lamp and Rhavaniel lit it. It still had oil, and after a spitting, smoky start, it worked.

Rhavaniel looked at her sword. It did not glow. There were no Orcs or goblins living here.

"Put that away and switch to knives." Kili said. "That will be better for close quarters." Rhavaniel complied.

They entered the doorway - the first Dwarf to do so in 171 year, and the first Elf ever.

The rock roof was low, but not uncomfortably so. Once inside, they could see the underground river to the right. A rusted, wrought iron gate ran along the edge of the water. "To keep the dwarflings safe?" Rhavaniel asked. Kili nodded.

There appeared to be fine nets hanging from hooks. Rhavaniel touched one, and it's ancient fibers crumbled. Disheveled tools, tables, and bins lay along the rock floor, running the length of the exposed river.

"Did Dwarves or Men live and work here?" Rhavaniel asked.

"Dwarves, by the look of the place." Kili said. "But it was rare for Dwarves to fish as a profession back in the glory days of Erebor. At least from what I was told. Cave fish aren't exactly a delicacy."

Another long tunnel appeared on the left, in the direction of the smokestacks.

"Living quarters." Kili pointed. They spotted more lamps and lit them as they moved down the hall. They passed a kitchen, an empty pantry, two small bedrooms, and a larger bedroom at the end of the tunnel.

Rhavaniel noticed that Kili was shaking. He needed rest and food, and it was freezing in this cave.

"Here," Rhavaniel took him by the arm. "Lie down."

Kili sat on the platform of the bed in the last room. The mattress and bedding were long gone, but there was a heating stove in the center of the room. Rhavaniel ran outside to get their packs, and with one last look outside, shut the door behind her.

When Rhavaniel came back, she helped Kili out of his bloody clothes, and wrapped him up in the bedroll. Rhavaniel collected broken pieces of wood from the entry, and started a fire to warm the last room.

She wondered if there was anything in the medical kit for Kili's pain. She regretted that she knew so little about medicine, or what to expect to find. There were wax vials of medicine meant to be bitten open and the contents drunk, but she was not sure what each one was for. For those that she did know, she was concerned at how a Dwarf might react.

Except she did recognize one word of old Elvish on a vial - Yavannah. This could be miruvor. She had heard of it, but never seen it, certainly never tasted it. The honey mead was very rare, but it would restore strength. It was supposed to come from the honey of Yavannah's undying flower. "Yavannah is wife of Aulë, who the Dwarves call Mahal, so I will take that as a good sign." she thought.

Rhavaniel, "Kili, I want you to drink this. It will make you feel better."

Kili drank it, and it did help. He could rest comfortably now, and was not so cold. Rhavaniel checked his wounds, kicked off her little boots, and joined him under the covers.


	31. Chapter 31: Keeping House

Once Rhavaniel was sure Kili was asleep and the room was warmed by the fire, she slipped out from under the covers and gathered all of his clothes. She made her way back to the entry way and opened the rusty gates to the river. The gates were patterned with dwarf spirals, and had little bells attached, as if the parents wanted a warning that a Dwarfling had even touched them. She thought that this must have been a beautiful home when occupied.

She could tell where Dwarves had washed their clothes - there was a smoothed pool that they had made, or nature made and they took advantage of. She washed Kili's clothes and realized his shirt was torn beyond repair. She could replace the back with material from the softest sack they were carrying, for she had needle and thread in Kili's pack.

Rhavaniel took sad inventory of their supplies. So few arrow left. She might be able to use parts of her broken arrows, if she could find decent wood for shafts.

She checked the food. They had leeks, plenty of baked petty-dwarf roots, bilberries, some tea, and a large shank of chamois. She felt around in Kili's pack of Watchtower supplies and discovered a rolled up Elf Guard undershirt. It was too small for Kili, but she gratefully took it so that she could change out of her own dirty clothes. She took a quick plunge in the cold river and used a sack as a towel. She would have to warm the water on the stove for Kili to wash up when he woke.

She broke apart more wood bins and starting a fire in the kitchen stove. After a quick wash in the river, the old kettles were suitable for boiling water. She also found pots and pans, and soap which miraculously had not gone rancid over time.

Rhavaniel checked on Kili frequently, and he was sleeping soundly each time. She washed her own clothes, and hung everything to dry in the warm back bedroom with Kili.

She had a large vial of pine nut oil in her own pack that she used for everything from polishing wood to treating her unruly hair. It was perfectly good for cooking, and she used it to cook chunks of chamois, and then added slices of baked root. She covered the dish and put it on the table, so that it would not be overdone.

She decided it must be near dark, and took one last look outside. The sun was setting and the shadow of Lonely Mountain was long. She realized the shadow nearly reached them at this time of dwindling day. They might be close to Kili's rendezvous location with his Uncle. Kili had been vague on the time of day, but Rhavaniel did not blame him. He had no reason to trust her when they first met and she had not pressed him. He had just escaped King Thranduil's prison, after all, and it would take time for him to trust another Elf.

Once inside for the night, Rhavaniel cut out a piece of cloth for Kili's one shirt and began to sew. Her stitching was hardly elegant, but it was sturdy and fast, and she was done quickly. She carried the blue hooded shirt down the hall and also hung it in Kili's room. On her way back to the kitchen with all possible chores done, she stopped to look in the other rooms.

The pantry had been emptied of all but several large crocks on the bottom shelf. "Too large to carry." she surmised. She opened one and was nearly knocked over by the stench of century old pickled something. She was loath to open the rest, but tried. She was rewarded with a well-sealed crock of honey. The immortal food, honey could last hundreds of years. She grabbed that crock and carried it into the kitchen.

The next bedroom had been stripped near bare, and looked like two small children had shared it based on the twin bed frames. The room had once been painted a cheerful blue. Broken toys, loose pages of paper, and a few books were abandoned in a corner.

The last bedroom was a girl's, and it looked as though nothing had been removed. A mirror hung on the wall. The dresser had brush, comb, and numerous faded ribbons and pins. The Dwarf girl's dusty, faded clothes hung from hooks. The bedspread had been nearly consumed by rats and moths over the years, but Rhavaniel could make out a pattern of quilted flowers. There was a doll on the bed - a carved wood head, hands and feet that were still attached to a stuffed cloth body. It was in better shape that the quilt, but looked like it would crumble at Rhavaniel's touch. It seemed to her that the person who lived here was her age - holding on to both childish and grownup things. Why had none of her things been taken? Had she died in the attack of Smaug? Had she been unable to reach her home, and followed the rush of refugees? Had she been so sure she would be back soon that she left everything? She'd be an old woman now, if still alive and exiled in Blue Mountain. Did she still dream about this room?

Kili had been angry that Elf history books did not mention the destruction of Erebor. Standing here, Rhavaniel knew that a book could never do justice to the sense of loss, and how terrible it must have been to leave this home with only what they could carry.


	32. Chapter 32: A Proper Meal

Rhavaniel could hear Kili stirring in the back room. She ran down the hall to check on him, and turned up the lamp. "Kili?"

Kili was disoriented. He tried to speak to Rhavaniel, but his throat was parched. She handed him a mug of tea sweetened with honey. That was the last thing he expected, making him wonder if he was having some long and elaborate dream while back at Blue Mountain.

After a few gulps, he was able to speak. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Perhaps eight hours, "Rhavaniel said. "It is a bit after dark now. You should try to eat, and then rest through the night. Do you want to eat here, or in the kitchen?"

Kili was hungry, now that he thought of it, and in much less pain than before. The miruvor had worked remarkably well. "To the kitchen, since we are being so civilized." he said. He got up and realized he was not dressed.

"Your clothes are on the hooks. I think they may be dry by now." Rhavaniel had discreetly turned away.

"Thank you." Kili noticed the mended shirt. "She is such a kind creature." he thought. He had not expected to find that in an Elf. Was she really such a rare thing among her people? Perhaps Elf children are good of heart and they are turned as they are older. She did challenge his opinions.

Kili had barely noticed the kitchen on his way in - barely noticed anything in his weakened state. Rhavaniel had dusted and cleaned, and set the table. There was a pan of warm meat and roots, and a pot of tea on the stove. Bilberries and honey were stewing in a small pot. It looked remarkably like a typical Dwarf kitchen in Blue Mountain, except that the place was colorless and quiet. Dwarves liked to brightly paint and decorate their interiors. This kitchen had faded with time. Back in Blue Mountain where they lived so many to quarters, kitchens were always buzzing with activity.

"Honey?" He asked, looking at the lettering on the crock.

"Yes," she smiled, "and it is delicious."

Kili ate heartily. "This is good. It is exactly as my mother would have made it. She would like you very much." Kili caught himself too late in his words. In Dwarf culture, telling a girl that his mother would like her carried great significance. What possessed him to say such a thing? If Uncle Thorin had heard that, he would have snatched up the hot frying pan and beaten Kili over the head with it. Fortunately, Rhavaniel merely smiled and took it as a simple compliment.

Rhavaniel ate with him, but true to her Elfin nature ate much less and only the vegetables.

"She is a kind and pretty girl" Kili thought. "frighteningly thin, but that can't be helped - she is an Elf. Any Dwarf would like her once they got to know her."

"There is soap and warm water in a tub by the river." She told him. "In case you want to wash up before going back to sleep. That will give me time to prepare dessert."

"Good idea.", Kili said as he finished his plate.

"When you are in the entry way, please see if there are locks on that door. I did not discern any, but perhaps there are other Dwarf ways to secure it?" Rhavaniel asked.

Kili walked out to the front of the home. These Dwarves must have felt safe, for there was no locking mechanism for this door. Perhaps they thought the camouflage was enough.

He saw that Rhavaniel had industriously broken down and stacked wood for them to burn. It was noticeable colder in the entry way than in the kitchen. He saw the soap, warm water in a tub, and sacks emptied out to use as towels. He washed his hair as best he could, for it was stiff with dried blood.

He returned to the kitchen with the wet towels, and hung them to dry. Rhavaniel had made a pastry of mashed roots, oil and water, then stuffed with bilberries and baked. The results were surprisingly good.

"We have to do something about your hair." Rhavaniel said, and sat beside him on the kitchen bench to comb it out.

"No! I will get it!" Kili protested. That was an activity only family did for each other.

"Except you might tear the seals on you back. You need to stay still a day and night, if possible." she told him.

"You Elves do not respect the bounds of personal space, that is certain." Kili grumbled, still mortified that he woke up undressed.

She did get the knots out quickly, and tied his hair back with his one silver clip, the way he liked it.

"Oh, I had one last thing to ask you before you go back to bed." Rhavaniel pulled out a book. "I found it in one of the bedrooms. I thought you might be able to tell me who owned it, or how old they were?"

Kili was touched that she cared. When he looked at the book, he realized it was a child's primer.

"It is a schoolbook." he told her thoughtfully. "The owner was just a little boy. He wrote his name on the cover."

"What was his name?" Rhavaniel did not realize what she as asking. Dwarves rarely shared their spoken language with outsiders, and certainly never shared the written word. Kili had slipped gravely early that very day when he pointed out the runes for 'welcome' in Khuzdul. Kili figured that there was no harm.

"Alfri, same as my father. It is a very common name among our people. He was 16 when he wrote that, just starting school." Kili told her. "I should rest. We will want to get moving again in the morning."


	33. Chapter 33: Stalked

Rhavaniel could tell that dawn was approaching. Kili was still asleep, but would be awake soon. She had prepared more of last night's fare for breakfast, but the food was running low again. She decided to look outside, for more roots and berries.

The sunrise was beautiful. She hopped up onto the boulders of the cascade with a mug of tea and honey to better enjoy it. Her peaceful morning was disturbed by the sight of circling scavenger birds to the South. The birds were a giant arrow in the sky pointing to the Orc carnage of yesterday. The fight had been far too close to the Dwarf house for comfort.

Rhavaniel ran inside and jotted a note to Kili. She took up sword and bow and headed out to investigate. Instead of following their footsteps from yesterday, she followed the underground river. It was a rougher path, but straighter since she did not have an injured Kili with her.

She noticed how fragile the terrain was over the river in some places. There must have been wells, or Dwarf-made and Man-made entries to pump water for irrigation. She could see traces of structures, long decayed. The land was overgrown, but looked like it had once been organized in cultivated sections.

Suddenly, she felt the ground yield beneath her and creak. A wooden bridge had been built over an opening in the underground river. She would have to be more careful - even her modest weight might be enough to crash through some sections.

She continued her hike towards the birds until she spotted it - a Warg apparently eating the remain of the Orcs she and Kili had fought. "That must be the Warg that Kili saw." she thought, "Not sentimental about eating its master."

Rhavaniel had been low in the grass, but she saw the Warg tense, and stare in her direction. It had spotted her. Not her, exactly, but it had spotted grass not moving in the breeze that should have been moving. In a flash, the Warg disappeared from her sight. Rhavaniel froze, unable to tell where it had gone.

She looked for moving grass, but could detect nothing. She could not smell it, either. She tried to remain calm, but it was hard to do on this open ground. She had no sense of how things hid here, the way she did in the forest.

Finally, she broke cover and ran. It was a terrible choice. The Warg broke cover and ran after her. She could hear it behind her. She had no place to hide, and no idea how long a Warg could run. If she ran back to the house under the hill, they could be pinned down indefinitely with no food.

She had once slim chance. Rhavaniel ran for the rotting bridge. She jumped over it and stopped, turned, and drew her sword. The Warg caught up to her. It slid to a halt on top of the bridge, and crashed through with a yelp. It tried to drag itself up by its front feet, but the aged wood disintegrated and splintered. The river was very narrow in this portion, and the water was moving fast - much faster than the water by the cozy Dwarf house.

Rhavaniel cautiously approached. She looked into the Warg's eyes. There was no plea in them, only rage. She smashed the last bit of wood with her sword, and the Warg fell through completely, to be swept away in the rushing water.

Rhavaniel returned to the house in the hills badly shaken but unhurt. She would have to go out again, and do something about the Orc corpses, but she needed to calm herself first.


	34. Chapter 34: Unpleasant Surprises

Kili awoke and was welcomed with the smell of breakfast cooking. He walked down the hall to join Rhavaniel in the kitchen.

"I found your Warg this morning." she greeted him, pushing a plate in his direction. "I think it is dead now."

"You...what did you say?" Kili muttered. "Did you go outside without me? You should not do that!"

"I left you a note." Rhavaniel replied. She pointed to the paper on the table. She had used a blank page from a Dwarf book. The note was in Common Speech, but with the equivalent Dwarf runes written beneath most of the words.

"You - you learned to read runes overnight?" Kili sputtered, "I only taught you three words!"

"Four words." she replied. "You forgot about honey."

"You told me you were slow!", Kili said with accusation in his tone.

"The book had pictures! How slow do you take me for?" Rhavaniel fired back.

Kili looked more closely, and the primer was indeed heavily illustrated and lovingly hand tinted. It was actually a beautiful antique, and far more self-contained than any book he had at school.

"Khazdul is elegant in its simplicity, and the primer was very straightforward. It was easy to decipher after that, and I had nothing else to do all night. I don't know how to pronounce anything, though. Perhaps you can teach me?" Rhavaniel asked eagerly.

"Skita!" Kili groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "Perhaps I can be disowned and shunned by my own kind in this life and the next?"

"What is 'skita'?" Rhavaniel asked with her typical innocent enthusiasm, "That is not in the primer."

Kili looked up from the table. "Breakfast can wait. We are going to check on this Warg you killed." Kili hated being weak from his injuries. It had cost them precious time and now, left unsupervised, the Elf had run amok.

They left the house together, fully armed. Rhavaniel explained her concern that the carrion birds would give away their location.

"That was smart." Kili told her, "Smart to think of it, but foolish to go out alone."

Rhavaniel showed Kili where the Warg went into the river. They tossed down a few bits of wood, and saw them rapidly disappear.

"He certainly could not have swum upstream from here." Kili said. "Doesn't mean he won't pop out downstream, if he didn't drown first."

"You were lucky." Kili told her sternly. Rhavaniel nodded. She knew she had been lucky that the bridge collapsed, and lucky that the Orcs they encountered had tried to take her as a prisoner rather than kill her on sight. She knew she was not nearly strong enough or smart enough to meet all of the dangers of Middle-earth yet, but she was learning.

They continued on to the Orc corpses. The Warg had done a good job, but they still needed to drag the torn remains to the hole in the river roof to be sure. They had to keep the birds away.

It was still morning when they headed back to the house under the hill. Kili was exhausted and pale, and angry with himself at being weak. Another fierce storm was rolling in. They would not be traveling this day, Kili sighed, even if he had been stronger.

They ate a quick brunch. Rhavaniel and Kili went outside together to gather roots and berries near the house before the wind began to howl and heavy rain forced them back inside. They stayed busy, cleaning and preparing the food. Kili did his own inventory of their supplies, and put together fishing lines which he tossed in the river.

"Are you still mad at me?" Rhavaniel asked him over dinner.

"No, I am 'mad at myself', as you would say." Kili told her. "We _have_ to move in the morning, no matter what."

"We will." she promised.


	35. Chapter 35: Goodnight Kiss

Rhavaniel fed the fires in the kitchen and back bedroom, then sat beside Kili on the bed, brushing her hair. She had taken one last bath in the river.

"We shall have to leave this place in the morning." she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "I know I am being fanciful, but this place felt like home."

"It was also practical." said Kili, "This is the best shelter we have had."

Rhavaniel offered him the last vial of miruvor.

Kili, "No, we should save this for another dire circumstance."

"Kili," she said, "Do you want to be well enough to leave here tomorrow? Then take this. Let us have faith that the worst is behind us."

He nodded in agreement, and drank the last vial.

"Oh, what does it taste like?" she almost forgot to ask. Kili realized that much like seeing Rivendell, he has experienced parts of Elf culture than Rhavaniel had not. Rather than explain it with inadequate words, he surprised them both by kissing her on the lips.

Rhavaniel kissed him back, and for much longer.

"What did it taste like?" Kili asked.

Rhavaniel, "The first taste was honey, and oat and a flower I can only imagine. The second taste was much better, and that was you."

Kili, "What do I taste like, then?"

Rhavaniel blushed, "May I kiss you again?"

Kili, "Yes."

She slid on to his lap to face him, and kissed him, and sighed. "Like things I never knew I was missing."

She was darker skinned that any elf Kili had seen before. They had all seemed so deathly pale to him, but not her. Her skin reminded him of when he was a boy, and he had discovered a nest of swan eggs. They were a light golden brown, warm, and perfectly smooth. The voice in the back of his head said the same words then as now -_ it is fragile, you must leave it be_.

Kili pulled back, "Stop."

Rhavaniel, "Have I offended you?"

Kili, "No, I just - Dwarves are not casual, about kissing. "

"Neither are Elves." she countered, "I understand - you do not feel the same way about me that I feel about you. I did not expect to think of you this way. Nothing makes sense to me now, least of all my heart. I should go, and let you sleep."

She moved to get up but Kili put his arms around her. "No. Stay."

Rhavaniel nodded. "We can talk until you fall asleep." She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. " If I were to make sense of myself, I would say that my playmates were right. That I truly am an Elf that Mahal built. No burden of past wrongs between Elf and Dwarf apply to me. No rules of Elf behavior bind me. I can find my way in the world as I choose...make different friends, speak new languages, and take love where I find it."

Kili stroked her hair, "Why would you give your heart to anyone other than your own kind? You should only want to love another Elf - someone who understands you. You are immortal. Everyone else would be gone so fast."

Rhavaniel replied, "I was orphaned twice by the time I was three years old. Being Elf does not spare us from broken-heartedness. I could love nothing ever again and be safe, or I could take every chance at love. I think I prefer the second option. What do you think?"

"I think you are a bad influence on me." he smiled.

"Oh, that is very true." she laughed. "I think you are upset that I am already much better than you are at kissing. You Dwarves are very competitive, I've noticed."

Kili, "_You_ do not understand Dwarves. We are taught to be respectful of girls - that means letting the _girl _decided what she will or will not share with you."

Rhavaniel. "But if you did not care for the girl, you would say 'no'?"

Kili, "Of course."

Rhavaniel thought for a moment, then wordlessly pulled off her nightshirt. The soft fabric brushed the length of her dark hair before it fell to the floor.

**(Author's note: Readers will have to use their imagination. I've never written fiction before, and I am not going to write this part. No way. Sorry. ) **


	36. Chapter 36: Bells in the Night

Rhavaniel was curled up comfortably asleep in Kili's arms. She dreamed she heard bells, like the toy carillon she and her grand-niece often played with years ago. She heard the bells again, only clearer this time, cutting through her dream.

She bolted upright in the bed. The bells on the Dwarves' river gate!

She jumped up, and slipped on her nightshirt. She grabbed her sword and approached the bedroom door.

Her bare feet felt it in the dark - water trickling underneath the door.

She gasped and grabbed her sword tighter. The sword did not glow. This was not Orc or goblin. She told herself she was being a silly child, it was only rats. The smell of fresh food and cooking had drawn them back to house, was all. Kili was sound asleep behind her. She did not want to wake him, not for rats, not when he needed to be strong and rested in the morning.

She opened the door slowly. Nothing moved. There was a trail of water down the hall. She followed it, checking every room. Nothing had been moved as far as she could see. The floors were dry, even in the kitchen.

Rhavaniel made her way to the dark entry, and turned up the wick on the nearest lamp. The gate to the river was open. Something had come in - too short to step over the gate, but clever enough to open a latch.

Her lamp caught a reflection near the edge of the water. She picked it up. It was a single moonstone, perfectly smooth, with a brilliant blue glow. She put it in her scabbard.

She could hear something in the dark. It was not the ominous rustle of night creatures, but the entrancing hum of a lullaby. She stepped into the river, and followed the voice upstream.


	37. Chapter 37: Emergency Exit

Kili woke up to find Rhavaniel gone from the bed. He had expected to wake up with her this morning. He wondered if he would never get used to the fact that this creature, who needed so little sleep, led an entire other life at night. "There will always be some surprise with her." he mused. "Let us hope it is a good one today."

Kili miruvor had been nothing short of miraculous. His bruises were fading, and his back no longer burned with pain.

He thought it should be nearly dawn. It was hard to get a sense of time in this place. He dressed and walked down the hall. Rhavaniel was not in the kitchen, where he expected her to be. There was no note, and the fire in the stove was out. This was not like her. Even when she was in some mischief, she saw to it that their most basic needs were met.

"Rhavaniel!" he called her name. He heard nothing but an echo.

"She has probably gone outside to watch the sunrise." he sighed. He gathered his weapons and headed to the entry.

Kili opened the door to find a snarling Warg awaiting him. He slammed the door shut just in time, needing all of his strength after the Warg charged at the opening.

"Rhavaniel!" he called. "Rhavi, please be in here!" He did not want to think of the alternative.

The beast was clawing and digging at the stone door. Though only a shell of stone, it could not be broken. The ground below was another matter. Kili could see the door shake, and began to see light from underneath as the Warg dug more and more earth away from the door.

Kili ran to the back bedroom. He shoveled hot coals into the ash bucket, and carried them to the entry. He dumped the coals in the growing hole beneath the door, causing the Warg to burn its paws and howl in protest. After a brief pause, the Warg started digging again, only higher. Dirt began to fall from the ceiling.

Kili loaded his bow. As soon as the beast dug a hole big enough for an arrow, Kili would be ready.

The tap on Kili's shoulder made him jump and spin around. It was Rhavaniel, soaking wet and dressed in just her nightshirt. Kili was so relieved to see her, he could not bear to say the words he was thinking, "Don't sneak up on me like that!" He wrapped his arms around her.

Rhavaniel quickly assessed the situation, "There is another way out of here!"

Kili stood ready at the entry in case the Warg broke through while Rhavaniel ran down the hall to collect their packs, bedroll, clothes and food from the kitchen. She deposited it all by the river. "That is everything but the fishing lines." She said. "Take off your boots."

"Leave the lines." Kili told her, and threw his boots into his pack. Rhavaniel led Kili upstream, through the shallow part of the river.


	38. Chapter 38: The Mere

"I woke up and you were gone!" Kili told her, more hurt than angry.

"I know, and I am sorry." Rhavaniel turned to him as they splashed through the shallow water. " I should have awoken you. Something was in the house last night, and I followed it. I did not mean to. I swear I was not being irresponsible. It was as if I had no will of my own. I kept following the sounds. I don't know what made them, but I found another way out. "

"Not that way." She said, as they encountered a split in the river. "There are markers, once you know where to look." She pointed to bits of moonstone embedded in the rock on the left passage, which caught the reflection of their lanterns.

The cave ceiling got lower in parts, and they had to hunch over. Rhavaniel hated this but Kili, who was used to mines, was comfortable here as long as the water was shallow. The water was higher and faster in some parts, but never above their knees through the whole journey. There were several places where they could barely squeeze through, and Kili had to take off his pack and hand it to Rhavaniel. At least this meant the Warg would never be able to follow them.

They reached a large underground pool, and Rhavaniel pointed up to an opening. This was the inlet to the underground river, and the source of the fish. They could see daylight though the water.

"It is a short way, and shallow on the other end." Rhavaniel told him. "You will not have to swim, I promise."

Rhavaniel placed her lantern on a rock. She wrapped first one pack, then the other, in the rain cloak and carried it up through the water. When she returned, she put the cloak over Kili. "Take my hand."

The exited the cave into a mere. The water was shallow at that point, and rock steps led them out of the water and to the banks. Kili gratefully flopped down in the grass.

Rhavaniel asked, "Do you think the Dwarves who lived in the house knew about this place?"

Kili, "I think so. It looks as though Dwarves built those steps."

Rhavaniel, "Yes, but they didn't build that." She pointed to the magnificent alabaster and marble statue in the middle of the mere.


	39. Chapter 39: Bait

Kili searched the pack for his boots. His clothes were mostly dry. Even his coat had survived the journey in the pack without getting wet.

"You should get dressed." he told Rhavaniel, who was wringing water out of her long black braid. She nodded and began to pull off her nightshirt.

"No!" Kili told her.

Rhavaniel was amused by his reaction. Dwarves were so modest, "Firstly, there is no private place to change and secondly, you have already seen me naked."

"Does not matter." Kili replied. He handed her dry clothes, and wrapped his heavy coat over her shoulders, keeping it closed at the neck.

Rhavaniel managed to get dressed under the coat with minimal squirming.

"Are you hungry?" She asked.

"Yes," Kili replied "but we are not starting a fire. We can eat cold leftovers and keep moving." More gently he added. "You are fit to walk?"

Rhavaniel blushed, "I am fine. You may get the leftovers out of the pack. I want to take a closer look at that statue."

"You are not swimming in that water! There is no telling what is in there." Kili cautioned. The mere was hardly more than a pond, filled with reeds and duckweed. The northern part of the water was slowly swirling, dark, and densely overgrown, while the southern portion of the mere that fed the underground river was clean and clear.

"I won't have to swim." Rhavaniel said, and made a running leap from the shore to the statue before Kili could stop her.

"Rhavi, get back here!" Kili called. He was not comfortable around this water. It wasn't fear of the depth - something about it seemed wrong. He filled the water skins from the clear part of the stream and called out to her. "All the water will be brackish above these reeds, they filter out the poisons."

Rhavaniel called back, "Aye, we should take all the clean water we can carry." She pulled aside the vines and weeds around the statue and revealed a handsome King from the tribe of Man, with his arms around a beautiful Elf woman, who gazed up into his eyes with an expression of profound love. The King must have been very tall, for he was taller than the Elf. The details in the statue were beautiful. The Elf woman's crown was embedded with moonstones. Her King's embrace joined hands with hers as they cradled a bird of onyx. The woman's hands were beneath the black bird, but the King's hands cradled them both, and Rhavaniel could see Elvish inscription on his ring.

Unwittingly, the thick vines and duckweed that Rhavaniel had torn down to reveal this beauty had created a floating bridge from the dark and reedy part of the mere to the base of the statue.

Rhavaniel ran her hands over the carving of ferns at the base of the statue, and up onto the leaf-patterned dress of the Elf beauty's skirt. The ferns ended entwined with the curls of the Elf woman's hair. It was a masterpiece.

Rhavaniel turned her attention back to the base of the statue, and she did not see the glistening, blood-black limb reach out from the murk and pull itself onto the bed of weeds.

Rhavaniel could make out only a bit of the High Elvish inscription, and scolded herself that she had not studied this subject with more diligence. She spoke to herself, "Some of this inscription is newer..."

Kili shouted a warning, "Rhavi!"

Rhavaniel was grabbed by the foot and fell into the water, on top of the nest of vines. She was a strong swimmer, but the vines acted as a net and she became hopelessly twisted in them. She could feel something pulling on the vines, dragging her into the dark portion of the water. She fought, but the creature was strong and Rhavaniel's lungs began to fill with water.

Rhavaniel was pulled down deeper into the water. She looked up to the sunlight gleaming off of the alabaster statue, then down to the blackness of the mere. She saw a darkness that made all other blacks fade to grey in comparison. As she was about to be lost, Kili's sword plunged through the vines between her and the leech monster. The black leech recoiled from the blade, and Kili was able to cut Rhavaniel free and drag her to shore.

Rhavaniel coughed up water. "Her face", she gasped, "did you see her face?" Kili comforted her as they both huddled on the bank by the mere.

**(Author's Note: This chapter seems like scary filler, but this episode will have minor significance for Kili and major significance if I ever write a planned story told from the perspective of Thorin's ghost. Rhavaniel's heritage it far more complex and secretive than she realizes.)**


	40. Chapter 40: Confessions

Kili started a fire. They needed to dry their only clothes now, so they might as well eat a hot meal. They had found bricks of salt in the Dwarf house and brought some with them - the Dwarves must have caught fish in large quantities and salted them for preservation. Kili used the salt now to make a circle around them and their fire, to keep the leech away. He could see the leech peeping up at them from the water, and threw a chunk of salt at her. She hissed and dove deep.

Rhavaniel was abject in her apologies, "I am so sorry, you never should have gone in the water after me. You might have drowned, and we would both have been lost for my foolishness. You should have drowned, shouldn't you? I thought you said dwarves cannot swim?"

"We are not supposed to be able to swim." Kili said. "I had hoped it was shallow enough that I could walk to you, maybe hold my breath long enough to reach you and walk out with you. It was a foolish thought, but it was something I was told a brave Dwarf would do. But I floated, and instinct kicked in."

Rhavaniel, "If I am Mahal's Elf, perhaps you are a Dwarf made by Iluvatar himself?"

"No story that beautiful explains me." said Kili.

Rhavaniel, "I suppose only _most_ dwarves can't swim, and that was enough for Dwarf mothers to raise all of you to fear water."

"I suppose that is the reason." Kili said, unconvinced.

Rhavaniel, "I should have known something was wrong. I don't know what I was thinking. I've never seen a leech that size, that shape, with a face...do you think that was what sang to me?"

Kili, "It smelled Elf blood. It came looking for you all the way down stream to our shelter. That was my fault."

Kili sat down beside Rhavaniel, "I am taking you home now, as I should have done the day we met. It is I who has been childish and not nearly as smart as you thought I was. I dragged you along on a dangerous journey because I did not want to be alone, and I only now realize the full depth of my transgressions."

Rhavaniel, "You are not to blame. I could have asked you to take me back or run away at any time, day or night. I did not want to be alone, either. Forgive me if I offend you, but we are both too young to be out here. We should both be safe at home, but neither one of us really has a home, do we?"

Kili shook his head.

Rhavaniel, "So we are equally at fault, if one could even lay fault. We did not think of the future beyond surviving to the next day. We never even discussed what to do with me when we finally reached the Iron Hills."

Kili, "And here I must confess more of my faults. I lied. We were never going to the Iron Hills, but to Lonely Mountain itself."

Rhavaniel pondered this silently for a moment. "I was overdue in my life to be lied to. I needed to know what it looked like. I can forgive you this lie, because you had no reason to trust me when we first met. You are telling me _now_, when you do trust me. Why should I be angry - that you did not predict the future, discern that I was trustworthy, and confide then a secret that was not even yours to share?

No, I am not upset about that lie. You have taught me much about the nature of trust, patience and forgiveness from that act.

I am upset because you are going on a dangerous quest. My first parents went on a quest, and they never came back."

Kili, "I know, and I am sorry about that. I wish I knew what their Quest was, because it must have been the fate of the world for them to leave you, even for a moment."

Rhavaniel, "What is your Quest for?"

Kili, "It is for the fate of my people. I am sure you have heard the tales of treasure, and yes there is gold in the Mountain, but it is about more than that. My people are scattered and... _failing_. We need a homeland again. We can't be wanderers any more. They don't even have enough hope in the future to have Dwarflings.

We used to live well with the tribe of Man in Erebor. That is what happens when there is enough to go around. But in the West where we are all poor, it changed. Now, Man leaves us to fight the Orcs on our own, hoping our two tribes will destroy each other and they will be done with us. As if Dwarves and Orcs were the same."

Kili, "This quest is bigger than me, and what I might want."

Rhavaniel, "But what would you want for yourself?"

Kili, "I want to be part of something bigger than myself. I have been told my whole life about great Kings - my ancestors - who conquered this land to provide for their people. I want to live a part of that destiny - to take back what is ours. I've always wanted that. I've trained my whole life for it. I felt blessed that I would finally have that chance. I was afraid I was too young to come with Uncle Thorin, but Fili convinced him I was ready. Now, I realize Fili was wrong. A warrior, a real Prince of Erebor, would have taken you to a safe place first, then set out again on his quest."

Rhavaniel began to protest. "No," Kili stopped her. "You were a little bird that fell from a nest. I should have put you back. Instead, I took you away with me like a selfish child. I need to set that right."


	41. Chapter 41: Directions

Kili and Rhavaniel ate quickly, then doused the fire and collected their packs.

Rhavaniel, "We are ready, then?"

"Yes." Kili replied, and turned South. Rhavaniel turned North and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?", Kili asked, "Mirkwood is this way."

"I am not going back to Mirkwood." she replied. "Why should I? I know all of the Undarked parts of Mirkwood. You have seen the Keep - the only part of King Thranduil's castle that Dwarves are allowed to see, apparently. On the other hand, neither of us have seen _a dragon_. I say we head North."

Kili, "No! I explained this - I need to get you home."

Rhavaniel, "I am not ready to go home."

Kili, "This is not amusing, Rhavaniel."

Rhavaniel kept walking, "You can drag me kicking and screaming South, or we can head North harmoniously together. You do have a choice in the matter."

Kili caught up with her, "You need to do as I tell you."

"Does that tone work on Dwarf girls?" she scoffed. "I think not. I would not have had to teach you how to kiss if it had."

Kili, "Why are you suddenly so stubborn?"

Rhavaniel stopped and looked Kili in the eyes. "I have _always_ been stubborn. You have not noticed because up until know, I have recognized your plans to be best for us both, and complied. Now that we have established that we are on equal footing, and I disagree with you, there will be no budging. I head North, even though I go alone."

She turned and kept walking. She called over her shoulder, "When I find your Uncle, I will tell him you are still alive. I am sure he will be happy with the news, and pleased to get an archer of any race or gender to replace you."

Kili laughed despite himself. It was impossible for him to stay mad at this girl for more than a moment, no matter how outlandish her thoughts or actions. He ran after her. "You are wrong. Uncle Thorin is not going to like this. Not one bit."

"Your King Thorin put you on this path," she said, "but Mahal himself must have put me on this very same path, you know. Mahal outranks your Uncle."

Kili, "How do you manage to mix so much blasphemy into your strange logic? Mahal does not make Elves. You would behave far more Dwarfish if that were the case."

Rhavaniel, "I am keeping my clothes on - how is that for Dwarfish behavior? The sun is finally out and beautiful. I should be enjoying it on my skin. But no, I am compromising."

"You are not compromising, you are _manipulating_," Kili told her, "and quite shameless about it."

"I already confessed to being a bad influence." Rhavaniel smiled.


	42. Chapter 42: All About Orcs

"I need to get better at killing Orcs." Rhavaniel announced.

"You have done an impressive job so far." Kili told her, "You are a great archer - as good as any Elf Guard already, from what I have seen."

Rhavaniel, "Thank you, but I have reason to be concerned. I am not afraid of death, but I am very afraid that what happened to Glennodad and Vehiron could happen to me."

Kili nodded in agreement, "We Dwarves are told that Orcs were formed from the corruption of Man and Elf. Now, you and I have seen the proof of it."

Rhavaniel, "I heard those same stories but most Elves _never_ believed it. That _Man_ was turned into Orc, yes, they are easily corrupted. We know the legend of the Rings of Power. All Men who wielded them were ruined to their very souls. Elves were able to control themselves and use their Rings for good. By that logic, I thought my kind was beyond such diabolical corruptions."

Kili, "We were told that Morgoth preferred Elves over Man to make Orcs. Such Orcs were harder to make but near immortal, just like Elves. You will never hear of a Dwarf formed to Orc, though. My kind cannot be corrupted, just as the Dwarf Rings of Power did not corrupt the owners. My great-grandfather owned one of them."

Rhavaniel was amazed. She had not put much thought into the fact that Kili was from a noble family. What was history to her was deeply personal family lore to him. "He was not corrupted by its power?" she asked.

Kili, "No, the Ring made him even wealthier, along with the rest of Erebor. But my mother confided in me and Fili that the Ring was the cause of jealousy, and plotting within the larger tribe of Durin. Also, there was such a thing as gold sickness that can take hold of Dwarves. It is especially unhealthy in a King - it will lead him to unwise decisions. She wanted us to know those signs, as if _we_ had to worry about being spoiled by wealth."

Rhavaniel, "If the Orcs we encountered last did not capture you to corrupt you into their kind, why did they not kill you?"

Kili, "They _like_ to torture. They have been known to take some unfortunate Dwarf alive if it suites them. We've all heard stories in Blue Mountain - Orcs take one of us and amuse themselves with him or her for a few days before killing and eating them. Or letting them go, scarred and shamed, back to their home as a warning. But that is not what happened to me. The Orc wanted me to call out for you."

Rhavaniel had not realized that. "You would not... I should have known. Thank you."

Kili, "I do not tell you this so that you will thank me. I want you to know how dangerous the world is, and that you should not always come to me if I call you. You need to know that in a moment of weakness, I did think of it."

Rhavaniel kissed him, "Thoughts are wild animals running in our heads. Don't apologize for each and every one of them. You are only responsible for the ones that you catch and ride."

Kili laughed at Rhavaniel's imagination. "Who would have thought I should end up paired with a philosopher? Fili may find that even more surprising than the fact that you are Elf."

After a moment, Kili became thoughtful and asked. "Do you still have your crescent arrowhead?"

"Yes," Rhavaniel said, pulling it out of the quiver. "It is just an exercise in casting and sharpening for an apprentice these days. Elves do not use this ancient thing, though I am sure I could hunt with it."

Kili studied it, "You say this style is ancient?"

Rhavaniel, "Yes, unused in several thousand years. It is a particularly cruel tip, supposed to have been favored by only the elite bodyguards of Fëanor, a great King and inventor of my kind. Better body armor contributed to their obsolescence. Elves have long used our narrow leaf-shaped heads for hunting and war. Our arrowheads slip easily between ribs of animals and enemies, and find the chinks in armor. These crescents...they tear holes."

Kili, "I have never seen one of these before. If you saw an Orc that used this kind of arrowhead, what would you think?"

Rhavaniel considered this carefully, "I would surmise that such an Orc must be very old to be familiar with this arrowhead at all. Knowing what I do now, I would say he was once a very dangerous warrior Elf of the Noldor tribe, so he would have had dark hair and eyes. He probably would make these arrowheads himself or commissioned them to a very skilled smith. He would like that they were more painful than lethal, and he would use them on creatures that had no armor."

Kili, "Like women and children?"

Rhavaniel, "Perhaps. But we are only speculating, are we not?"

"Yes. May I keep this?" Kili asked.

"Of course." Rhavaniel replied. She had learned so much about Kili in their short time together. She knew he was not lying to her, but he was certainly keeping secrets. She would be patient, though, because she knew that Dwarves were a guarded people. Kili could not be expected to share a secret that was not his own.

Rhavaniel continued on the subject of Orcs. "

Are there poisons that work on Orc or Warg that we could be making?"

Kili, "I ...do not know. I never learned that. Poisoning is not a Dwarf warrior's way."

Rhavaniel rolled her eyes, "That is silly. If I can kill an Orc an easier way, then I certainly will without a thought to how honorable it might be. Now _I_ am being the practical one. I hope you appreciate the irony. Dwarf honor? - take a seat at the head of the table. Practicality? - outside with the dogs." She mocked Kili with her tone, and he laughed at her.

Kili, "I suppose poison would work on an Orc, if it could kill Elf or Man, but who has tried to do so?"

Rhavaniel, "Even the worst toxins in nature would only slow an Elf down, so it might not kill an Orc if it was originally elf-blooded. I fear we have too many unknowns to solve this problem. Oh, but what about things that don't hurt us, but might be offensive to corrupted creatures? What about miruvor, or Elf metal?"

Kili conceded, "That might do it, but those are precious commodities and we have none, or none to spare."

Rhavaniel, "What about other object or elements of purity? Could arrowheads be made of sacred stone, so that even a minor wound be fatal? What about honey, it is miraculous and immortal?" She happened to be eating some of the honey salvaged from the Dwarf house. She had poured it into smaller jars for carrying in their packs.

"How can you drink that straight?" Kili asked. "Are you flying on the hummingbird in your head?" He tried to take the jar from her but she darted out of his reach with a giggle.

"Gandalf might know." Kili continued, "or at least rule out what wizards have tried and failed on Orcs."

"There is a wizard in your Company?" Rhavaniel asked with excitement.

"I have not had a chance to tell you about Mister Gandalf yet." Kili smiled.

(Author's note: Laying groundwork for a very ancient, big bad villain Orc. I may end up tossing that idea depending on how the movie universe unfolds)


	43. Chapter 43: Sweet Talk

Kili and Rhavaniel had kept up a brisk pace since leaving the mere, and covered a great deal of ground by midday. They stopped briefly to rest.

"Would you like bilberry jam?" Rhavaniel asked, reaching in to her pack.

"That will be fine." Kili said. He opened the jar and sighed, "I never imagined I could miss bread this much."

Rhavaniel laughed, "Spread the jam on baked root slices and use your imagination."

"I am surprised at how little game there is here, not so much as a coney since we left the mere." Kili mused.

"That is how we could get the poison into the Orcs! Poison the meat, and leave a fresh kill for them to find. They could not resist it, not out here." Rhavaniel was quite pleased with her latest idea.

"You make a good point." Kili conceded. "That last Warg was so keen for meat, it had eaten rotten Orc like mother's home cooking."

"But, we have no meat, and no poison, so this is all an exercise in thought." Rhavaniel sighed.

"I like to hear you figure things out." Kili told her. "You have a very quick mind, you know. If your teachers have not discovered this, then they have failed to spark your interest in the subject."

Rhavaniel, "Now that I have lived only a bit more in the world, I wish I had studied High Elvish, and herbalism, and even cooking more diligently. It would have served us well out here."

"You will have opportunity for all of that again. You are like my brother Fili - you will be surpassing your teachers in no time." Kili told her.

Rhavaniel, "Thank you. You challenge my mind, like no one else has before. You are also very handsome."

Kili laughed. "I cannot look handsome to an Elf. I assumed you looked past that because you gave me your heart, and love is blinding, but you do not have to pretend. Dwarf and Elf standards of beauty are very different. I am not offended."

Rhavaniel was indignant, "What, I should moon over an Elf Prince that is prettier than I, just as every other Elf girl does? I never did, even before I met you. Now that I have met you, I understand why. I think a man should look like a man - should look like you."

"Well," Kili smiled, "I also find you to be a lovely girl. More so every day I am with you."

Rhavaniel, "Will you still love me if I grow a foot taller than you?"

Kili grimaced, "That might be difficult..." Rhavaniel tackled him and he laughed "I am teasing! I will love you always, I promise!"


	44. Chapter 44 Foothills

Kili, "I think I remember these foothills from my Uncle's map. We are still too far East of the Gates of Erebor. I do not know if we should circle around or cut through the hills."

Rhavaniel, "We do not know what danger to expect, either way."

Kili, "Aye, and no telling which way will be faster. Do you know how to use those hooks and ropes you took from the Watchtower, if we take the mountainous path?"

Rhavaniel, "Yes, I always went with my family when they traveled to cliff-dwelling Avari settlements to work in their forges. They wanted me to learn some of my culture. Either that, or they were hoping those Avari Elves would steal me back."

Kili, "I am surprised they did not leave you there and run away in the night."

"I am sure they were tempted." Rhavaniel smiled at his teasing, "The point being, I know how to use climbing ropes. Perhaps not as well as a Dwarf of your age, but I will be able to keep up."

Kili, "Then we should take our chances on the foothills."

Rhavaniel, "Agreed."

Kili asked as they hiked, "Are Avari all that different from Silvan Elves?

Rhavaniel, "They are more secretive, like Dwarves are to outsiders. I remember a few of them would greet me so warmly, kiss me, and give me small presents ... I thought they must be kin to my first parents, but they never said a word, even to tell me their names. I could only play with Avari children that took me for just another Silvan passing through. I am not over fond of secrets as a result, though I seem to have some skill at making and keeping them. It must be in my blood."

Kili, "Dwarves keep secrets even among our own kind, too. I like it less and less as I get older."

Rhavaniel, "I suppose they have their reasons, trying to protect us. Funny, but if you do not know what that danger is, you cannot reduce the toll that secret takes in the currency of trust. "

"I find that I am very much an Avari in other ways."Rhavaniel continued, "All elves love beauty, but Avari are the most likely to shun gold and gems and find beauty in nature. They would rather discover and shape and live in a beautiful cliff than any castle. They value wild things over wealth, so they are more seekers than makers."

"So, you might _like_ to live in a Mountain?" Kili asked.

Rhavaniel smiled at Kili, "If we could build a nest on the side of the Mountain, so that I could greet the Sun every day, then this little bird would be safe and happy."

She continued, "My second parents kept my Avari name - it means "wild". I am the only Rhavaniel in a Silvan village full of Hannasiels, Alyas, and Melimas ."

Kili, "Elves and Dwarves have different standards. You may be a wild thing to your people, but I find you thoughtful, so I would have called you 'Ranakul'."

"I like that you call me Rhavi." she said sweetly.

"Oh, and the Avari can fly, or at least they try." she added with enthusiasm. "They make beautiful gliders - it is a kite big enough to hold the weight of an Elf. I have used them a few times, but only a little glider on a short hill. You must be older and well-trained before you can take a big glider off the Avari cliffs. To fly is an amazing experience."

Kili, "I know, I have flown on a giant eagle."

Rhavaniel stopped, "Seriously? You have flown on a bird...touched the sky?"

"Yes." Kili replied, "The wizard Gandalf is friends with them. He summoned them to help us escape when we were attacked by Azog himself. I truly flew."

Rhavaniel, "I am a bit jealous. Is there no story I can tell but that you have a better one? I am finding you to be very competitive. "

"Being a younger brother will do that to you." Kili conceded.

Rhavaniel, "So competition may be a be a steady state in our relationship?"

"Possibly." Kili told her.

Rhavaniel, "In that case, I shall race you to that hilltop." and she took off like a gazelle.

"I have the heavier pack!" Kili yelled after her.

**(Authors Note: Thanks and praise to several excellent web sites that provided Elf names and neo-Dwarf language doc/98387422/Khuzdul-Dictionary-E-K-v01-JUN12 )**


	45. Chapter 45: The Tower

Kili and Rhavaniel were close to their destination. High at the peak of the foothills, they could see the remains of a tower of the City of Dale.

"Must have been a herald's tower." Kili mused. "The City of Dale will be on the other side - It will be downhill from there."

"It will be good to have high ground for the night." Rhavaniel nodded. Even she was tiring after a hard day of climbing.

The sun was rapidly setting in front of them when they reached the base of the tower. The roof had caved in, and stones were scattered at the base of the tower. The large double doors had long rotted away and the opening was partially blocked by pieces of ceiling tile.

"Do you think it is safe to go inside?" Rhavaniel asked.

Kili slid off his pack and pulled his knife. "Wait here." and he crawled over the debris.

He came back in a moment. "We can't use the stairs. We will have to stay at the lower level. The arches are strong though - it will not collapse on us. Come in."

Rhavaniel handed over their packs, and gracefully jumped over the crumbled pile.

Once inside, the dust of nearly 200 years made her sneeze.

"Look." Kili took her by the hand, and led her to the back window of the tower. It was a dizzying straight drop of several hundred feet, but below them was the ruins of the City of Dale. And to the right - the massive doors of Erebor. Kili smiled. "We are here. Just a matter of finding my brother and Uncle now."

"We can't risk a fire. It might be seen from leagues away at this height, what with so many holes in the walls." Kili said as he kicked away some old wood and leaves to clear a space for them on the floor.

"I don't like staying in a place with only one exit." Rhavaniel said. "How did people ever get to the tower from Dale?

"I have already thought of that." Kili told her. He went back to the window. "Look - they used a narrow stair built against the cliff wall. It is gone now. I would not even trust the spikes - they may be rusted through. But this structure is still strong." and he patted the tower walls.

Kili pulled out their climbing gear and set up the hooks and ropes on the support pillars. He pulled food, water, weapons and bedroll out of the packs, then hooked the packs at the top of the ropes.

"This is how we are going to get down in the morning." He told her. "If something comes here in the night, we can make a quick exit out the back. They will have to fly to follow us."

"That is a good plan." Rhavaniel told him. "And I will take watch. I promise I will wake you if I hear anything at all this time. I will not leave the tower without you."

Kili, "That is good, because I was about to tie _you_ to a line next."

They drank from the water skins and felt through their packs in the dark for food. They each settled on cold petty-dwarf root.

Rhavaniel looked up at the stars from the hole in the tower ceiling. "We have gone from too much roof over our heads to too little." she noted. "Still, the stars are beautiful tonight." She curled up beside Kili.

"Are you planning to talk with me until I fall asleep?" Kili smiled at her.

Rhavaniel, "We have been talking all day. I thought I would kiss you until you did not want to fall asleep."

**(Author's Note: Still can't/won't write a love scene)**


	46. Chapter 46: Beetles

Bilbo could not sleep. He was too anxious about being on the verge of entering Erebor and facing the dragon, Smaug. He did not know which would be worse - facing a fire drake or the disappointment of the Company if he could not break in to the secret entrance. He wished Gandalf was with them, to give him advice.

Bilbo thought he had been pacing aimlessly, but he found himself approaching Dwalin, who had taken first watch. Dwalin, the first Dwarf Bilbo had ever seen, remained the most intimidating to Bilbo. Bilbo had established respect with the regal and doubtful Thorin, and camaraderie with the rest of the Dwarves. But all progress with Dwalin had been lost when Kili was lost. All of the Dwarves had grieved, but Dwalin had not joined them in reminiscing about Kili. Dwalin alone had shut himself away, with no moments of hopefulness about the remainder of their journey.

"Good evening Mister Dwalin." Bilbo said "Would you care to share a pipe?"

Dwalin nodded an agreement, and reached for his own pipe. "Never much for smoking, but it does keep the gnats away." Dwalin lit his pipe and said. "I never liked bugs, except maybe beetles."

"Hmmph, beetles. First time I spent time with Kili, he was just a little whelp and Dwarf pox was going around. All the little ones had it, even Fili, who was never sick. Thorin brought Kili to me and said I needed to watch him for a few days, maybe a week.

I said, '_Have you lost your mind? These are bachelor quarters, no one here knows how to tend to a little one'_. Thorin said all the other places with a family have Dwarflings with the pox and **Dís** did not want Kili to catch it.

I said, '_Let him get the pox and get over it like we all did_.'

Thorin said that is what he told his sister, but she wasn't having it. **Dís** said Kili was not as strong as other Dwarflings. He was too thin and if he had to have pox, he needed to be older and the only one sick so the healers themselves could tend to him. '_You can't expect a mother to be rational'_, Thorin said.

Thorin put little Kili down on the floor and says _'Be a good boy, mind Dwalin, and go to bed now'_. Kili scuttled off across the floor. I says, _'Is he not old enough to walk!?'_

Thorin says he can walk, and talk, and is as housebroken as anyone else at that end of the living quarters. _'He decided this morning that he was a beetle, and well, that is what children do'_. Then Thorin lit out of there before I could finish the argument.

Kili slept at the foot of the bed, all curled up. In the morning he scuttled all over the floor and decided that he had to pry into everything within reach, since that is what beetles did.

I got crazy babysitting in that little room for a full day, so I took him out laying trap lines the next. He scuttled all over the grass and burrowed anywhere he could.

He ate everything I put in front of him, including a stick of wood as a test of how far he'd take acting like a beetle. I had to pull that back fast. Slept curled up at the foot of the bed.

The third day, I was getting used to this beetle behavior when he walks upright, sat in a chair and said _'Good morning , Mister Dwalin'_.

I said, _'That is not how a beetle behaves._'

Kili told me. _'I am not a beetle anymore. My spots falled off_.'

I lifted his shirt and damned if he hadn't had pox the whole time and beat it like it was nothing.

Funny little boy. Fooled everyone."

**(Author's Note: Something seems overly familiar about this chapter, as if I have read it before but forgotten where. If I have unintentionally plagiarized, I'd appreciate being informed. This is a stand-alone chapter that can be deleted.)**


	47. Chapter 47: So Close, So Far

Rhavaniel woke with a start. She had not intended to fall asleep - she had promised to take watch through the night. She had merely closed her eyes for a minute, listening to Kili's heartbeat while he slept. She had not realized she was so tired, and her stomach was growling with hunger. She quietly slipped out from the bedroll, half dressed. A tug on her hair yanked her back. Kili had rolled over on the end of her braid. She gently pulled it out from under him.

She crept to the window and looked all around. She then checked all of the cracks in the walls, and the broken doorway. There was no sign of anyone else on this peak, and no one on the ground below. She heaved a sigh of relief. She would have to be more careful. She judged that is was past midnight. She would wake Kili a bit before dawn, and ask him take watch so that she could nap. She did not wish to push herself so hard that she made another dangerous mistake.

She found another small jar of Dwarf honey in the dark, and drank it down. She was still hungry. There were more jars in their packs, but she knew they needed to ration the food.

She looked up at the spiral staircase leading to the top of the tower. The wooden steps were rotted from rain and harsh weather, but it looked like the stone center support column was undamaged. She had promised not to leave the tower, but they had not discussed staying on the ground level. Rhavaniel thought she might get a much better view from higher up. She put her bow and quiver over her shoulder, and began to climb.

Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, and there was a bit of moonlight coming in through the hole in the tower roof. She was able to scan each level quickly, with its open floor plan. It looked as though each level had a purpose - sleeping, pantry and kitchen, storage, and a little library that stank so much of mildew so was not tempted to reach for any of the books. Floorboards on every level were missing or rotted through.

The last level was different. The boards were thicker here, and appeared to have been treated with some sealant. She tried to open the trap door, but it was locked, or covered with debris above. She would have to make a bounce-jump against a wall and crawl up through the gap made by the collapsed roof. She adjusted her bow and made the leap. When she emerged at the top level, she understood why that floor had been so sturdy - it was sound insulation to protect the rest of the tower residents. A great carillon hung from the top level of the tower. The residents of Dale and Erebor had timed their lives around these bells.

The floor was sturdy, though Rhavaniel moved across it with caution. She examined the bells. The Men of Dale may have played them, but Dwarves surely crafted them from the ore in Lonely Mountain. Dwarf runes and spirals decorated them. They ranged from fist-sized round bells to a heavy bronze upside down tulip bell in the center of the room. The largest bell was taller than Rhavaniel.

Rhavaniel's school had a lovely carillon for teaching children. It was her favorite instrument, but it was barely a quarter of the size of what filled this tower. She knew there was a giant carillon in the Palace of King Thranduil, but she had never seen it.

Rhavaniel walked to the tower opening facing the City of Dale. This view _was_ better. She thought she saw a flicker of light in an abandoned building. She moved close to take a second look. One of the small bells on the end was tenuously hanging from the most rotten portion of supporting wood. Rhavaniel's bow tip grazed it as she leaned out over the window sill, and that was enough to send the bell hurtling down the cliff and to the City below.

Rhavaniel tried to catch it before it fell, but she was too late. The bell fell straight and soundless down the cliff while Rhavaniel held her breath. "May it land in a little pool, or soft grass", she prayed, "and not make a sound."

The bell struck rock, and rung with a delicate but unmistakable chime. It bounced, and bounced, and bounced again making music until it rolled all the way into a side street of Dale.

"Did you hear that, Mister Dwalin?" Bilbo asked anxiously.


	48. Chapter 48: The Waiting Game

Kili awoke even before Rhavaniel reached the bottom of the tower's central pillar. Her rush to get below had sent little bits of debris raining down on him like hail.

"Kili! Kili! We can't go down the cliff! There is something down there in the City! I dropped a bell from the top of the tower, and they all have lights now, searching for it." Rhavaniel frantically informed him.

"Why would you drop _a bell_?" Kili asked, shocked out of a deep sleep.

"It was an accident, _obviously_." she explained. "I am sorry."

"_Sorry?_ Has that become the Elf word for _'good morning'_." Kili snapped. "By Mahal, you are getting tied up tomorrow night."

They both looked out the ground level window and Kili did see the movement of half a dozen small lights.

"We wait." Kili said, thoughtfully, "Wait for daylight to see how many they are, and who they are. It could still be my own people. It could be Elves looking for you or me. That would be disappointing, but at least we would have our lives."

"And the other possibilities?" Rhavaniel asked anxiously.

"Goblins would already be coming up the cliff. They climb like nothing you've seen before, and fight better in the dark than in daylight." Kili told her. "It could be Orcs, but I think we would have heard them rallying for a raid. We are in a good position here. We wait and watch." Kili put his arm around Rhavaniel to comfort her. "We will be fine." he assured her.

(*****)

Below, in the ruins of Dale, Fili picked up a bell. He pulled a ragged piece of cloth from his pocket to muffle the sound, and handed it to Thorin. "What do we make of this?"

Thorin looked up. "I remember that tower. It housed one set of the City bells. The tower on the West spur is completely gone. The night is still - something must be up there."

Dwalin "Aye, but it could be just an animal."

"Or goblins"

"or Elves or..."

"...Orcs."

"We wait." Thorin told them. "Wait and watch. It will come to us, and we will be ready."


	49. Chapter 49: Convergence

Kili and Rhavaniel had been awake and alert the remainder of the night. They no longer saw lights in the City of Dale below. They had ventured outside the tower briefly, to see if anyone from Dale was moving up the foothills to approach them, but there was no activity.

"If it is Dwarf or Elf, we could signal a truce." Rhavaniel suggested. "At least we would know what was down there, and what to do next."

"I will not surrender to Elves. Not when I am this close." Kili said.

"I am not asking you to. I could talk to them. We will figure out a signal so I can let you know if they came looking for you, or if they found any other Dwarves. That would be a great thing to know, wouldn't it?' Rhavaniel asked.

Kili, "Yes, but how would I get you back?"

"I assumed you were quite through with me at this point." she said contritely.

Kili, "Not true. You are mine now, and I am yours. I would not have made it this far without you. What happened last night with the bell - it seemed disastrous at the time but it was a good thing to know. We would have repelled down to Dale at first light and been completely exposed."

Kili, "We will shoot down an arrow. If they be Dwarf, we repel down and greet them. If they be Elf, you go down alone. If they insist on taking you with them, go. You will be able to sneak away and come back, hmm, there." He pointed to the ruined sister tower on the East foothill spur.

"And if they are Orc?" she asked.

Kili, "There is the problem. I have not figure that out yet. But we can't stay here. They will trap us sooner or later. Can you take one last look at the top of the tower?"

"Yes." Rhavaniel scurried up the central pillar, and made her leap to the carillon level. She looked down on the City of Dale and saw nothing. She looked to the South and again saw nothing. She looked back the way she and Kili had come. At first the rising sun blinded her and then she saw them - Orcs. They were still far away - if they had been in the city last night, they would have been upon them already. No, these Orcs were just arriving.

"Kili!" she called down, "There are Orcs approaching, a great many of them, from the East. I think they are..."

Kili "What is it?!"

Rhavaniel called down, "I see a larger group now, they are heading to the City of Dale, as if they had taken the path around that we considered yesterday. They have come to surround the city - scores of them. The lights we saw last night may have been a scouting party."

Rhavaniel scurried down. "But if those are Dwarves or Elves below us, then we should warn them, and quickly."

"Let us trust in Mahal." Kili said, and shot his last Dwarf style arrow. He aimed for an open spot on the outskirts of the ruined city, where they had seen lights congregate last night.

(*)

The Company of Thorin saw the arrow come down. "Dwarf!" Fili called out, "Or at least I think so from this distance."

Thorin, "Do not touch it. It could be a trap."

(*)

Kili and Rhavaniel conferred in the tower.

"Either no Dwarf, or distrusting Dwarf. Does not tell us much, unfortunately. The next test is for Elf." and Rhavaniel pulled a tightly rolled ribbon from her quiver.

Kili, "I meant to ask you what those are for."

"Since Dwarves have few bowmen, I don't imagine you developed the language of archery that we have. The colors of the ribbons are signals. Red is danger. If they be Elves, or even trusted Men, they will know what this means. Like runes, I should not be telling you this. Call us even." She let loose an arrow, and it joined Kili's on the ground.

(*)

Bilbo spotted it first. "An Elf arrow...and what it the ribbon for?"

Thorin, "A test. Leave it. Let them show more of who they are."

(*)

In the tower, Rhavaniel climbed back to the top to judge the progress of the Orcs. Their pace was still casual - they were not charging. She could see that the party heading up toward them was smaller - no doubt securing a lookout point. The main force would be entering the City of Dale.

She called down to Kili. "Did your parents or Uncle ever tell you what any of these bells meant? How many chimes for morning prayer, how many chimes for danger?"

"No. I don't know that." Kili yelled up. "Warnings always come in threes, I suppose."

Rhavaniel, "Whatever is hiding in that City, if it were your people or mine, what would you risk to warn them?"

Kili knew what she was asking. Would they give away their position in the face of an advancing Orc war party? For all they knew, it was just more Orcs below them.

Kili listened to his heart. "It is the Company. I have to believe that . Elves would have answered your call with another arrow, and Orcs would have charged us under cover of darkness. Do it."

Rhavaniel shut the trap door. She knew what to do. She pulled a long scarf from her jacket pocket and wrapped it around her ears, then pulled up her green hood. She found the bell ringers' hammers, and took the largest one. Selecting the biggest bell, she gave it three mighty blows.

(*)

Thorin failed to take his own advice and grew impatient. "We should have taken that tower ourselves before venturing in to this City. We have no high ground, no way of telling what is going on, or what whoever is in that tower is up to."

Bilbo, "I think whoever is up there is trying very hard to tell us something. Dwarf and Elf - they sent arrows of both kind. I think they are friendly to Dwarf and Elf. "

Dwalin, "Then they should show themselves."

Fili, "That is asking a bit much, don't you think?"

Bilbo, "Perhaps we should be showing _ourselves_, so that they know we are not Orcs?"

Then they heard it - three big booms of the bell.

(*)

Back in the tower, Rhavaniel could tell that the smaller Orc contingent heading toward them had heard the bells. They had quickened their pace to a run.

"We've been discovered!", she called down.

Rhavaniel pulled out three more arrows. She knew all eyes would be on the bell tower now. She let the arrows fly in the direction of South East, toward the larger force of approaching Orcs.

There was nothing else Kili and Rhavaniel could do. They had to defend themselves next, and hope that whoever was on the ground, Dwarf of Elf, would know to do the same.

(*)

Thorin, "Three bells and three arrows. There is danger, and it comes from the South East. Fili, try to get a view of what we are up against. The rest of you, start putting last night's plan in place."


	50. Chapter 50: Orchestration

Kili and Rhavaniel had time to prepare before the smaller group of Orcs advancing on the bell tower.

"They have probably been on the move all night." Kili told her, "I suspect they were going to secure the City and sleep during the day. They are as tired and hungry as we are. But we are in a good position to fight them off."

They decided that Kili would remain on the ground level, while Rhavaniel climbed to the top level with bow and arrows. She used the herald hammers to break more of the interior walls, giving her pieces of brick and stone to throw down.

Kili sealed off the rest of the open doorway with large stones, and prepared to use several of the cracks and gaps in the wall for shooting.

The group of Orcs slowed as they advanced on the bell tower. They had no Wargs. What they did have were archers, for this group had been sent to secure a high position over the City.

Rhavaniel had managed to free the trap door on the top level of the bell tower so that she could drop down inside safely rather than going in and out through crumbled roof and wall.

"They are falling into a volley formation with their archers." she called down to Kili.

No sooner had she finished her sentence than the Orcs let sail with their first volley. They all targeted the only opening of the tower - the bell chamber.

Rhavaniel was well protected behind the wall when the arrows came - their metal tips hitting the bells with a fierce cacophony.

Rhavaniel put her hands over her sensitive ears and shouted down, "I am fine! Let us hope they continue to waste arrows at a distance."

The Orcs advanced, and again fired into the tower opening.

Kili was able to see the second frontal attack was a diversion, with two smaller Orcs attempting to approach the tower from either cliff edge.

"North end!" Kili called up as he easily shot the Orc approaching from the South side. The Orc fell screaming over the cliff. Rhavaniel had a wider range of view and attack than the Orcs thought, thanks to the open eaves under the roof. She was able to kill the second Orc quickly.

The Orcs conferred. Kili and Rhavaniel spent several silent moments in dreadful anticipation.

"Do you need more arrows?" Rhavaniel called down. "I think these Orcs ones will work with your bow. They are mostly unbroken."

Kili, "I can always use more arrows, but don't leave your post."

Rhavaniel gathered the Orc arrows and sent them down on the still functioning pulley and basket they had repaired in the night.

Kili, "Thank you. I hope I don' t have to use these. I think they may retreat and confer with the larger group of Orcs below. If they believe Elves have already secured the City, they may fall back entirely."

Rhavaniel, "It is a good bluff. I..."

Kili, "What is it?"

Rhavaniel, "They brought ladders with them!"

The two dozen Orcs split up. Half fanned out on either side of the tower, while the other half made a central charge to bring the ladder to the opening at Rhavaniel's level.

"They are coming at us from all sides!" She called down.

"I know." Kili replied. "Keep the ladder away as long as you can. I will take care of the rest!"

Kili was able to take several clear shots, thinning the ranks on the South side before he had to stop and repeat the exercise on the North side. Rhavaniel's task was more difficult - the ladder crew had armor designed to thwart archers. Her shots had to be at the chinks in armor, and she was forced to take wounding shots at the foot and shoulder. They kept coming.

On the ground level, Kili could hear the scrape of wood and metal against stone, and knew the ladder had reached the tower.

"Now!" Rhavaniel called down.

Kili took one last shot at a ground-level Orc, and climbed the tower's central pillar. Rhavaniel could not complete the next part of the plan without him.


	51. Chapter 51: Day Breaker

Rhavaniel called out, "Clear!" and Kili came up through the bell level's trap door.

Last night, they had sawed down the largest bell that would still fit through the hole in the tower wall. It was a beautiful silver cylinder inscribed with its name in Khazdul, _'Day Breaker'_.

Rhavaniel took one last shot at an Orc attempting to climb the tower's North side, then ducked behind _Day Breaker_ with Kili. They waited quietly until they heard the creak of the ladder, warning them that the first Orc was about to step in to the tower.

Kili nodded to Rhavaniel, and they shouldered the great bell toward the opening. The massive bell rolled through the tower and down the ladder, crushing all the Orcs in its wake. The bell continued to roll down through the foothills, finally seeing the sunlight it was named for. As it picked up speed, its clapper shook loose from centuries of corrosion and the bell rang once more as it raced away.

Kili began to pick off the wounded and scattered Orcs with his bow. Rhavaniel was about to join him when a disturbing thought crossed her mind. She turned to the cliff side of the bell tower and looked down. The tide had not completely turned in their favor after all.

Rhavaniel, "The Orcs are in the City! They have sent some to the cliff now!"

A small group of snaga Orcs were attempting to climb the cliff wall. As Kili suspected, some of the spikes broke off, sending an Orc screaming to the base of the cliff. But most of the spikes held, and the Orcs kept coming.

Rhavaniel lowered her bow, "We need to take them all down at once." Kili understood, and together they began to rock a large supporting beam on the carillon. The wood was weak and rotten. Once they were able to overcome the inertia, the weight of the bells worked with them. The beam and its heavy bells crashed out the tower and dropped down along the cliff face, taking all of the climbing Orcs with it.

The tearing of the carillon beam also tore down another section of the already weak tower roof. Kili and Rhavaniel barely avoided being pulled down with bells and tiles.

Kili, "We can't stay here any longer!"

They climbed down the central pillar, to the increasing pile of rubble on the ground floor. They finally have no choice but to take the rope exit down the cliff, and quickly.

A single Orc had survived the attempt to scale the cliff and claim the bell tower. He was battered and bruised at the foot of the cliffs. He looked up to see two small figures coming down the cliff on ropes. Those were the ones causing all of this defeat! He was not a trained archer but he grabbed a fallen Orc's bow and arrows as the best method at hand to attack Kili and Rhavaniel on their ropes.

The Orc missed Kili twice. He next tried to shoot Rhavaniel, who was coming down faster than Kili. The arrow hit her in the pack, which protected her. But the force of the arrow was as strong as a kick, and slammed Rhavaniel's light body into the cliff wall. Kili tried to grab her, but she lost her grip, and began to repel far too rapidly.

Kili clamped his rope to steady himself. He twisted around, and threw his knife at the Orc bowman, catching him squarely in the head before he could draw aim on Rhavi again. Rhavaniel landed on the ground with a crunch and spit out blood from her battered face. She waved to Kili that she was alright, and ducked behind the carillon wreckage to catch her breath.

Kili struggled to release his clamp. His line had become kinked and he was stranded too far above the ground to jump. He scanned the ground and saw it, a riderless scout Warg waiting for him. "Don't move Rhavi, don't make a sound." he whispered. The Warg growled up at Kili, then sniffed the air. It put its great snout to the ground and came closer to the cliff - it smelled Elf blood.

"No! Come back here! Here, you beast! Rhavi, look out!" Kili shouted.

Rhavaniel was frantically searching her pack for her spare bowstring . The first string had been snapped in her fall. She was lucky the bow itself had not been broken. She heard Kili shouting from the cliff and knew something was approaching her hiding place. She pulled out her sword and leaned back against the tower debris, listening carefully.

She felt it before she heard it, hot breath coming down on top of her head. She looked up, directly into the eyes of the Warg. She saw...recognition. The beast knew her. She knew him, recognizing him from his burn scars and white chest. She had spared his life, treated his wounds, and fed him. They knew they would not harm each other. With one last sniff, the Warg turned away from her and walked away along the cliff wall, abandoning the City of Dale.


	52. Chapter 52: Rooftops

Kili reached the ground and rushed to check on Rhavaniel. She was on her feet, restringing her bow. Kili embraced her. The creaking of the bell tower above interrupted their silent reverie.

"We need to move away from here." Kili said. "We can get a good vantage point from those rooftops."

Rhavaniel nodded and wiped blood from her face with her scarf. "I have not figured out if Fate wanted to show us the reward of our act of mercy, or if that was just the Warg that Mahal built."

"We will philosophize that later, I am sure." Kili laughed at her. "Come on."

They grabbed their packs and weapons, and climbed to a rooftop in time to spot a second small expedition of Orcs coming around the cliff side of the City.

Kili and Rhavi were able to eliminate half a dozen Orcs before the creatures realized the Tower had not be captured and their flanking maneuver would fail. The rest fled.

"I am out of arrows." Rhavaniel told Kili.

Kili, "I need you to stay and hide, then. My people are here somewhere. I can _hear_ them, they are so close. I will find them and circle back to you."

Rhavaniel, "Be safe."

As soon as Kili left along the rooftops, Rhavaniel looked at the damage they had done. There were many dead Orcs on the ground with arrows that could be reused. She felt defenseless and useless in hiding.

As she was debating the merits of a quick expedition to the ground to retrieve her arrow, she spotted two more Orcsapproach on the cliff side. They were well-armed archers, clearly more disciplined and determined than the small group Kili and Rhavi had routed. Her sword would do no good if they spotted her. These Orcs were not the same tribe that they had first encountered at Burnt Ridge. These Orcs had no interest in taking prisoners - the assault on the bell tower left no room for capture or surrender. These must be the Orcs that Kili told her about, the troops of Azog the Defiler.

The Orcs climbed to her rooftop and passed so close to her hiding place, Rhavaniel could smell them. She feared they could smell her, but the wind must have been in her favor.

She did not have a choice in the matter now. Those Orcs were going to circle around to the direction she saw Kili running. She needed arrows if she was going to defend herself, let alone help Kili and the other Dwarves.

She jumped down quietly and kept low to the ground as she approached the dead Orcs. She quickly pulled out a dozen of her arrows that were still intact, and put them in her quiver.

She paused. It felt as though she were being watched, but she did not see or hear anyone approaching. She needed to get back to the rooftops and get in a higher position to track the Orc archers. She darted from the bottom of the cliff to a crumpled wall of the City. Nothing. She still felt a sense of dread, but did not detect any movement.

She judged her next move cautiously. She could take a leap on to a nearby roof, and defend herself behind an intact turret. With a quick prayer, she bolted for the building and jumped to the rooftop.

One of the Orc archers had come back! He was waiting for her for his roof top perch, but he was expecting a Dwarf and her speed caught him by surprise. He reacted too slowly and what should have been a fatal shot only struck Rhavaniel in the foot.

She collapsed on the rooftop with a shriek of pain.

The arrow had pierced her foot. The entry mark on her boot was covered in black tar - poison. It would not kill her, but it could certainly slow her down. She broke the arrow short with her knife and pulled it the rest of the way through her foot, suppressing another scream. Her foot was already too swollen to remove her boot, so she frantically cut the boot off and bound the wound.

She jumped into the turret, and prepared her bow. She turned to look for the Orc that shot her. He was smart and cautious, circling around to approach her from behind. But Rhavaniel had already heard the crunch of gravel behind her as the Orc leaped to the other building. She was ready for him. As soon as he looked around the corner, she graced him with a shot to the head. She heaved a sigh of relief. Eleven arrows left. Still a good trade.


	53. Reunited

Kili raced through the ruined streets of Dale. This was a City of Man, but his mother had often told Fili and Kili about visiting the beautiful City outside of Erebor to play in the sun, gather flowers, and visit the shops. It was hard to imagine this was ever a safe place for children.

Kili heard toppling stones and the shriek of an Orc. He followed it around a corner to discover that a lone Orc scout had been crushed under a collapsed building wall. This looked like a typical Dwarf trap. Though Dwarves preferred the honor of hand-to-hand combat, when they had time and control of their tempers, they were able to put their mining skills to great use. Dwarves were masters at mechanical elements, levers and pulleys, and the momentum of heavy objects. With the right tools, a Dwarf could collapse any structure exactly where he needed it to land.

Where was the Dwarf who set this trap? Had it been triggered by the action of the Orc alone?

Kili heard a groan above him, and climbed the short wall to the rooftop. Kili was rewarded with his first sight of a Dwarf from the Company. It was Ori. The decrepit state of the building had caused him to lose his footing when he pushed the piece of wall onto the unfortunate Orc, and Ori himself had been hit with a stone. Now Ori was slowly regaining consciousness.

Ori looked up into Kili's face. "I have gone to the other side! Hello, Kili. It is so good to see you again. I was expecting Grandpa, actually."

Kili, "You are not in the Great Halls of Mahal yet, my friend." grabbing Ori by the coat and pulling him up.

Ori, "You mean there is a test? No one prepared me for that!"

Kili hurried with Ori to the next corner of the rooftop and asked, "Where do you need the Orcs to head?"

Ori pointed, "Over there - that alley. Bofur and Bifur will pull the lines on a larger avalanche."

Kili jumped over the alley to the next rooftop for a better look. A still disoriented Ori waited, then turned and spotted Thorin and Fili at the end of the block.

"Look who I found!" Ori shouted with an excited wave.

Thorin and Fili turned to see a lone Ori, Kili having already disappeared from sight.

"What is that fool boy doing drawing attention to himself?" Thorin spat. "Nori, get after your brother."

Kili was already spotted a sizeable group of Orcs. He yelled back at Ori, "Is the next trap triggered? I don't want to set it off myself?"

Ori, "Come back here!"

Kili jumped back and Ori was able to give Kili a quick synopsis of the Dwarf plan.

Ori, "We need to channel them to any one of three alleys." and pointed to building walls weakened to collapse. "Bofur and Bifur have the nearest, Bombur is next, by himself, and Oin and Gloin are teamed up on the West alley. Dwalin and Balin are on the other side of the traps to finish off those that come through. Thorin and Fili will be joining them soon, since Nori and Dori's trap already succeeded. My trap was just a diversion, you see."

The Dwarves had no idea that Kili and Rhavaniel had prevented the flanking maneuver that would have caught the heirs of Durin on the other side of the first trap.

Kili could see that the Orcs had become hesitant. They sent a lone snaga down the alley with Bofur and Bifur's trap. "The Orcs are too spread out. They won't get enough if them with the trap." Kili thought.

Kili took a chance and shot the snaga, then jumped over the alley along the rooftops. The Orcs pursued him.

Bofur and Bifur were shocked to see Kili racing toward them on the rooftops. Kili signaled them to be ready, then turned and shot a pursuing Warg. He next jumped down to the alley, as if he had fallen, and ran through the trap.

A large, clustered group of Orcs followed Kili, and Bofur and Bifur were able to spring their trap. A city block wide piece of wall collapsed on the Orcs with a roar and a rumble.

Safe on the other side, Kili ducked just in time to avoid being decapitated by Nori. Nori and Dori had been in place to attack any Orc that got passed that trap. The brothers were overjoyed to tears to see Kili alive.

"Where have you been?" Nori asked him.

Kili, "No time! you have to make sure they are all dead, and check on Bombur. I have to get back to the East side, under the bell tower. The Orcs have tried to take the bell tower and flank you twice from that side. I have to go back there. Focus on the traps and send reinforcements when you can."

Kili knew they Dwarves' defenses were weak on that side, and feared Rhavaniel would be discovered even if she did stay hidden. Kili turned and ran down the main street of Dale, missing sight of Thorin and Fili by one slender wall.


	54. Counter Attack

Thorin and Fili caught up to Dori and Nori, having killed the last of the Orc stragglers on the Eastern most trap.

Dori, "Did you not see Kili?"

Nori, "He needs support on the East flank, by the bell tower cliff. We've got them broken here, just picking off the stragglers. Go!"

Thorin was incredulous, "You saw Kili?

Dori, "How did you miss him?"

Thorin and Fili turned and ran back the way they came.

Thorin would not allow himself to trust in any but his own eyes. "Fili," he cautioned, "I have seen this before. Men see things on the battlefield - ghosts, visions, walking dreams...they believe what they say, but they may be wrong."

Fili, "They are not wrong. I know Kili is alive, that little sneak."

Thorin and Fili were nearly clear of the buildings, and finally able to see that a few Orcs were attempting to come down the bell tower cliff, using spikes and ropes. They could also see that an archer was targeting the Orcs coming down the cliff.

Fili smiled, "Need any more proof?"

Dwalin soon joined them. "Did you hear?"

Thorin, "About Kili? We heard, but have not seen anything, except that there is an archer on that roof."

Dwalin "There are _two_ archers on that roof." He could see that while one archer was targeting Orcs on the cliff, a second archer was engaged in a duel with an archer on the next building.

Fili, "Two arrows this morning - two arrows for two people in that bell tower last night!"

More Orcs were coming around on foot from the cliff side. The three Dwarves had no choice but to fight their way to the building, gaining the upper hand and sending the last Orcs on the run.

Thorin "Dwalin and I will go after them, and take down that last Orc archer. Fili, stay here and find Kili."

Dwalin and Thorin pursued the small Orcs as they fled. Other Dwarves of the Company were winding up their kills and routing the few survivors. It was Dwalin who climbed the rooftop and discovered the Uruk-hai bowman that had Kili and the other archer pinned down.

"At last, a worthy opponent." Dwalin thought. He threw a knife at the big Orc's head, and took off its left ear in a spurt of blood and great flap of dangling flesh. The Orc roared in rage and threw down his bow.

Thorin and the reassembling Company pursued the few faltering Orcs to the Southern edge of Dale. It was there that the Elf Guard was waiting, and finished the half dozen Orcs off. The Elves were clearly surprised at the turn of events, but handled the task at hand with deadly efficiency.

Thorin bade his men to halt and regroup. This was a shocking turn of events. They were in no position to confront the Elves. The Dwarves had gone from triumphant victors to hiding in the shadows themselves in a few brief seconds - because of Elves.


	55. Don't Let Your Guard Down

Fili looked around at the fallen Orcs, all of them East of where Thorin had any Dwarves posted. He checked them to make sure they were dead. No more Orcs were coming down the cliff from the bell tower. The Orc archer that Thorin and Dwalin promised to remove fired no more. This part of the ruined City had become quiet and still.

Fili hooted the call he and Kili had used since childhood. His heart was filled with joy when he heard the familiar sound of Kili hooting back at him. He did not notice that this time, it was accompanied by the coo of a dove.

File raced past the last building standing on the East side of Dale, following the sound of Kili's call. Fili arrived to see Kili emerge from behind what looked like crumpled bells, carrying a sword in one hand and a wooden box in the other.

No words needed to be spoken between the brothers, relieved to see each other alive once more. Fili embraced his little brother, thinking he would never let him go again.

Kili asked, "Uncle Thorin?"

Fili, "Yes, everyone and Bilbo. Only Gandalf has not rejoined us."

Kili, "I did not come alone, brother. My friend is hurt." Kili gestured with the box he had retrieved to the abandoned building.

Fili, "Let me find Oin then. I will be right back."

Fili ran down the central street of Dale, only to meet all the Dwarves running back at them. Thorin's face was stern. "Elves have arrived. Prepare for another attack!" and then with softer look. "Did you find Kili?"

Fili, "Yes, he is alive, but his friend is wounded. We need Oin right away to the building nearest to the bell tower on the cliff."

Dwalin joined them, having defeated the archer Orc.

Thorin, "We will rally at that building, then. We should all be together. Dwalin, pick up Bilbo and follow as soon as you can. Fili, see if you can tell how many elves are outside the City, but keep low and come back quickly."

Thorin and Company ran to the last building standing in the East, where they found Kili kneeling beside a small, black-haired Elf.

(***)

Kili handed Rhavaniel a water skin, "They are all alive! All of them, and they have the Orcs on the run. Fili will be back soon with our medic."

Rhavaniel drank deeply, and pulled her Elf Guard sword partially our of the sheath, the glow fading. "Good." she smiled at him tiredly.

Kili looked up and saw the rest of the Company arrive, with his Uncle Thorin in the lead.

Rhavaniel squeezed his hand, and then released it, "Go, I will be fine."

Kili ran to his friends and kinsmen, and was embraced by all. Thorin handed him back his knife, that he had been carrying all of these days, taking it as proof Kili was dead. Thorin did not need to explain, for Kili understood that they must have taken this knife from a dead Orc many days past.

Rhavaniel looked on, happy for Kili. She did not hear the footsteps behind her. By the time she sensed she was being watched and reached for her sword, she was grabbed by the throat and snatched up off her feet.


	56. Perceptions

Bilbo, "Dwalin, No! Put her down!"

Dwalin had retrieved Bilbo from his hiding place, and the two of them had come around the opposite side of the last building. When Dwalin spotted an Elf, his first instinct was to fight.

Kili turned to see Dwalin drop Rhavaniel. She crumpled to the ground.

Kili, "No!"

All of the Dwarves rushed to the girl's side

Kili shoved Dwalin away. "What did you do?!"

Dwalin was defensive, "Knocked her head against the wall! What was I supposed to do? She went for her sword! I'd have run her through if Bilbo hadn't been screaming at me."

Kili, "She helped us! She's been fighting for us all day and she was wounded, how could you not see that? Oin, help her. Rhavi! Rhavi! Wake up!"

Rhavaniel's eyelids fluttered. She inhaled a deep breath and awoke with a start. She saw herself surrounded by strangers, with Dwalin towering over her. She shrunk back and Kili grabbed her and held her in his arms.

Oin reached out gently, "Oh, little Elf, be still. Let us look at you."

Rhavaniel, "No!"

Kili, "Rhavi, this is Oin. I told you about him. He will take care of you." Kili turned to Oin, "It is her foot - the arrow was poison. I have an Elf medicinal pack, but the miruvor is already gone! She used all of the best supplies on me."

Oin looked at the supplies taken from the Elf watchtower. "I'm not sure what these are. I can drain the wound and apply a poultice - that will help as well as anything else at this stage. Do we have any of the poisoned arrows?"

Rhavaniel decided that if Kili trusted Oin, she could trust him. "The one that hit me is on the roof. The Orc who shot it is dead over there." and she pointed to a nearby corpse. "There is another very good archer around here, also with poison arrows."

"Not any more." Dwalin said, and patted a long grey ear tucked into his belt.

Rhavaniel vomited. The poison had made her queasy but the ear sent her over the edge. "Excuse me." she whispered. Kili handed her more water.

Nori retrieved the quiver of poisoned arrows from the dead Orc and brought it to Oin .

Oin looked and sniffed, "Nightshade, ergot, metopium." He looked at Rhavaniel's foot. The telltale black spider web or Orc poison was there, but small. "Either you received a very small dose, or you are fighting it well. This will hurt a bit, but it will help you."

Rhavaniel showed him a tool in the Elf box, "We use this for draining poisonous bites. Will it help?"

Oin, "Oh, I've used similar. This will do nicely."

Thorin took an account of the Dwarves. All were there except Fili, who was hastily returning. Fili pushed through the crowded circle of Dwarves, to find Kili and Thorin, and the mysterious wounded companion. Fili was taken aback. "That's Kili's friend?", he asked. He had expected a wayward Dwarf from the Iron Hills, or perhaps someone from Lake-Town, but certainly not an Elf.

Thorin, "What news, Fili?

Fili, "The Elves are assembled at the southern side of the city. They have finished off the Orcs, but have not entered. They... "

Rhavaniel cut Fili off, "Did they kill my Warg? He is black with a white chest and burn scars on this neck."

Fili, "I...I do not know."

Kili, "I am sure he got away - nothing can kill that brute. Do not trouble yourself with worry."

Thorin, "About the Elves, Fili."

Fili, "Right. They seem to be a scouting party, only a dozen and lightly supplied. Their horses are tired. They are milling about. I think they expected to beat everyone here and now do not know what to do with themselves."

Nori, "We sprung all but two of our traps on the Orcs, not that an Elf would fall for one. No Elf would walk down an alley in this City, not when they can dance on rooftops and keep high ground. "

Thorin sighed, "Then we run." He approached his nephew, " Oin, Kili, hurry. We have to go."

Kili, "Yes Uncle." and he began to pick up Rhavaniel.

Thorin, "Leave her. "

Kili, "What? No!"

Thorin, "Elves are about to attack us! We are not going to slow ourselves down with one of their wounded. Besides, they will be desperate to get her back. How did she become separated from the rest of the Guard?"

Kili, "She's not Guard. She's been with me since the day I crawled out of the Ravine. I think her guardians are only now realizing she is not at school."

"School?" Thorin took a long, intense look at Rhavaniel. "How old is this girl?"

They replied in unison: Rhavaniel , "96." Kili, "48."

Kili, "She is 48, nearly a grown Elf."

Thorin grabbed Kili by the coat and pulled him aside, "I can't _imagine_ what you were thinking dragging an Elf child across three Kingdoms!"

Kili, "I didn't...We were running for our lives the entire time. I tried to send her back to her people the first chance - the only chance - I had. You do not understand. There are other Orcs out there - the ones we hear stories about. They only want to take you alive. We've _seen_ it, we've seen what they do."

Thorin took Kili's face in his hands. "I am so sorry we lost you. I regret that you have suffered. But Kili, Gloin has a daughter this age. If she had been alone with a male Elf, even a male Dwarf, for that long in the wilderness, Gloin would expect nothing less than that boy's head on a pike. As his King, I would tell him he was entitled to it. Do you understand me? Elves will think she was kidnapped. They assume the worst of us, always. This is very serious."

Kili turned pale. He had not thought far enough ahead to imagine how Dwarves would look upon him, and any female not chaperoned by a family member. Kili was suddenly afraid the situation would be much worse for Rhavaniel. What if her family thought she had shamed them, or the other Elves punished her for helping him? What if they assumed she helped all of the Dwarves escape the Keep? They could imprison her, or worse. They had been too young and naive to think about these things.

Kili swallowed hard, "What would Gloin do to his daughter?"

Thorin, "I do not know - that would be a family matter. My concern is for you and the honor of Durin."

Rhavaniel could not make out words, but she knew Kili and his Uncle were having a tense conversation.

"Perhaps you could talk to these Elves, agree to make no hostile gestures for the day?" Rhavaniel called to them.

Thorin was furious at the interruption.

Kili, "Uncle, let us at least talk to the Elves."

Thorin, "They will overrun us."

Rhavaniel, "Use a white arrow. They will know it came from an Elf and honor it. The ribbons are in my quiver. " Oin was finishing a tight wrapping on her foot.

Kili, "Do we need time more than the Elves do? Because we can buy it cheap."

Fili, "They are outside the City. We should keep it that way with no bloodshed for as long as we can. We are all exhausted, Uncle."

Thorin pondered. "Let them know we would talk."

Kili scooped a handful of ribbons from Rhavaniel. "The white one is for a truce, to discuss terms. You can tie knots in it, 1 for each hour to wait before the talk." They turned to Thorin, and he held up 3 fingers. "If followed by a yellow ribbon, they are asking if they can bring peace-tied weapons. There are Orcs nearby, so that is probably a good idea. Actually, you should send the yellow arrow before they do - they will take it as proof you know this code - proof an Elf trusted you enough to teach it."

"Good." Kili told her, "Fili and I will go. Oin, will you stay with her?"

Oin, "Of course."

Bilbo, "So will I."

Once Fili and Kili left, Oin turned his attention back to Rhavaniel, "Let's look at the rest of you." He noticed the older wounds on her left hand and arm, and her recently bruised and scraped face. "No need to stitch anything. Your eyes look fine."

Rhavaniel, "The back of my head..."

Oin, "Yes, let's see Dwalin's handiwork. Barely bleeding, no stitches required. You are getting soft in your old age, Dwalin." Dwalin grunted.

Oin, "A few words of advice, child. You should speak to a Prince only when spoken to. And you should certainly never lie to him. Do you understand?"

Rhavaniel nodded in silent understanding.

**(Author's Note: It breaks my heart to write Thorin as a harsh and unsympathetic character to Kili and Rhavaniel's relationship. I had to keep focused on the fact that he was even younger than they were when Smaug massacred his people and destroyed his home, while the Elves stood on that high hill and turned their backs. ) **


	57. Interrogation

"My name is Rhavaniel... Mordemirdanian," she smiled and bowed her head to Oin, choosing to use the Elf word for 'blacksmith' and the name of her adopted family's sub-tribe within the Silvan Elves, rather than mention Mirkwood. "You may call me Rhavi. Thank you for your help."

Bilbo was the first to respond with a proper introduction., "Bilbo Baggins..."

"Of the Shire," she finished his sentence, "I have heard so much about you." Kili had told her there was a Hobbit on the quest with them.

"And it is good to finally meet you." Bilbo smiled. It was pleasant to finally speak to someone he could only watch all those weeks at Mirkwood.

"Are you hungry?" Bilbo asked.

Rhavaniel, "Starving, actually. But do you have enough supplies for yourselves?"

Bilbo handed her cram prepared with dried berries, "We have some. This is not as good as lembas bread, I'm afraid."

Rhavaniel bit in and chewed, "This is wonderful. I wish to never again eat anything with a tail."

The remaining Dwarves approached with a mix of trepidation and curiosity, except Dwalin. Rhavaniel politely introduced herself to all.

Thorin paced, observing Oin as he finished patching up Rhavaniel. "Oin, you have others to tend to, yes?"

Oin nodded, and turned his attention to Ori's nasty head bump.

Thorin approached and sat on a stone bench to better look Rhavaniel in the eyes. "What do you know of these Elf Guards who pursue us?"

Rhavaniel, "Nothing, Sir. I was away from home when they left searching for you all."

Thorin, "And you thought there was no danger, alone in the woods, knowing thirteen Dwarves escaped from Thranduil's Keep?"

Rhavaniel, "I was exploring the Woods above Lake-Town. It is beautiful there, and safer than Mirkwood, or so I believed. I thought I knew how to take care of myself. I was not afraid. Not until I saw an Orc for the first time."

Thorin, "Who are your people? Do you have kin in the Guard?"

Rhavaniel, "I am Avari by birth, but I was given to live with a family of Silvin blacksmiths. I know most of the Guards from my apprenticeship at the forge - I make some of their arrows. But they are not kin, Sir."

"You have Guard items." Thorin pointing to the contents of the packs she and Kili carried, now spread out around her.

Rhavaniel, "The rain cloak was old and about to be discarded. A Guard gave it to me instead, and I gave it to Kili. I took the medical kit and many other supplies without permission from an Elf Guard fire watchtower. My sword..." Thorin took it from her, "is from a fallen Guard named Glennodad. He was taken by Orcs. They turned him into a monster, and I killed him with it five days later." Rhavaniel's eyes teared at the memory, but she refused to cry. Thorin could tell that she was not lying.

Thorin, "My nephew carries his own bow, that he made for himself. It was last seen locked up in an Elf dungeon. How do you explain that?"

Rhavaniel, "I took it from the Keep, without permission, to study it. I would have returned it, but when I saw Kili in the woods, it was clear that Ilúvatar wanted it to go back to its rightful owner instead. Do you not take that as a sign, Sir, that we found each other?"

"I am a strong believer in signs. I am much older than you, and have seen many. I am quite good at discerning encouragements from warnings. " Thorin stood.

Fili came running back to them. He turned to Rhavaniel, out of breath, "White, yellow, and dark blue all strung together. What does that mean?"

Rhavaniel, "They will talk, with peace-tied weapons, but they ask that you wait for nightfall." She reached into her quiver. "Use the blue if your Uncle agrees, otherwise send another knotted white ribbon."

Thorin fumed, "They are stalling us until the rest of their troops arrive! Fili, send a blue ribbon. At least we know how much time we have to rest before we must leave."


	58. Weary

Kili returned to the Dwarves impromptu base of operations. Fili had remained to keep an eye on the Elves, to ensure they honored the truce. Kili had not wanted to leave Fili's side, but Fili insisted that Kili go back to eat and rest.

Rhavaniel was sitting on a bench, sharing a jar of honey with Bilbo and a few of the less suspicious Dwarves. Her bandaged foot was propped up.

"We have a bit of time." Kili told them as he joined them on the bench, enjoying the cram with his bilberry jam.

Oin, "I have not looked at you, Kili. Were you even scratched by those poisoned arrows?"

"No, Oin, I am well." He wolfed down another bite of food and took off his coat. The bandages on his back were itching. Kili was a rare Dwarf, with arms long enough to reach his back, and he scratched at them.

Rhavaniel gently scolded him, "Do not disturb the strips! They will fall off on their own in a few more days."

Thorin, "What is this she speaks of?"

Kili was evasive, "Just a few scratches."

Thorin pulled up his nephew's shirt tail, to reveal the whip marks on his back. They crisscrossed all the way up to his shoulders.

Thorin, "Who did this to you?"

Kili, "The Orcs that were not Azog's caught me. I was stupid. I told Rhavaniel look for water instead of stand watch. It won't happen again."

Rhavaniel spoke to Oin, "He lost a frightening amount of blood, but the miruvor helped. And we found shelter for a few days..." her voice trailed off.

Thorin despaired that Kili felt so ashamed, when it was Thorin who had failed to protect the boy. He was concerned that Kili had tried to hide this - and perhaps other crucial details - of what happened to him. This deception was the influence of the Elf, no doubt. Thorin wanted to question further, but realized Kili must be tired and hungry.

Thorin, "I want you to eat and rest. Half of us will rest, while the other half watches. We will talk when you wake. Her too," and Thorin pointed to Rhavaniel. "I will question you both later."

Kili and Rhavi looked at each other awkwardly.

Thorin, "What is the problem? Sleep in the shade over there, where the rest of us can keep an eye on you."

Kili. "We only have the one bedroll between us."

Thorin's face turned red.

Rhavaniel broke the rule of waiting to be spoken to. "We took turns standing watch and sleeping. One bedroll was certainly enough until now." she said nonchalantly. Kili was grateful one of them had the survival skill of lying.

Thorin did not look as satisfied as they had hoped he would be with this explanation. He grabbed the Elf bedroll and threw it at Rhavaniel. He told Kili, "We still have a bedroll for you. Ori will get it." He stormed off to look at the Elf activity South of the City for himself, and relieve Fili on watch. "Opposite ends of the wall!" He warned them as he walked away.

Ori retrieved a bedroll for Kili. The Dwarves split in half, with those most tired taking the first few hours of afternoon sleep. Several went inside the ruined building for better blocking of the sun. Kili and Rhavaniel saw the look from Dwalin, and realized they would be expected to stay in the open.

They laid down and alongside the building wall, in the shade and several feet apart.

Rhavaniel whispered. "I don't think your Uncle likes me."

Kili, "He doesn't like Elves. You have the burden of all the wrongs done to him by Elves on your shoulders right. now. It will be better once he gets to know you."

Rhavaniel. "Patience and a good heart will earn trust. But I fear that time may not be on our side."

Kili. "I need to ask you - how upset would your people be if you brought a Dwarf home to meet them? Even if they believed nothing happened between us, would they be angry with you?"

Rhavaniel, "They would certainly be angry that I was gone so long. I don't know how they would react to the rest. No one has ever done anything like this, at least not that I was ever told. I do not think I have done anything wrong! Have I made your family angry with you? If I have, then I am sorry."

Kili, "This is not your fault. Dwarves are very conservative, and honor is everything - it is all that we have most days. If Elves choose to say I stole you away, it would be a shame to my entire family. Uncle Thorin would be expected to put it right. I think he is afraid of what he might be asked to do."

Rhavaniel, "I will tell them all what happened, that you tried to send me home and that you rescued me."

Kili, "I am not sure the truth matters. It seems old wounds want to be opened."

Rhavaniel, "What are we going to tell your Uncle later? "

Kili, "Everything. Everything except what is private between us. I would not deny you, or how I feel about you, but this is not the time. And don't tell him about what we found in the mere. I don't want him to know I can swim."

Rhavaniel, "Agreed. Should I tell him I set fire to the Watchtower?"

Kili groaned, "Yes. He will be upset because I was part of that, but it set so many events in motion."

Kili heard Rhavi sob. "What is wrong?"

Rhavaniel, "I had not thought before - if I had not set that fire, Glennodad and Vehiron would not have come looking for the cause. They would not have been caught and tortured body and soul until they lost themselves."

Kili, "That is not true. Those Orcs were hunting Elves and they would have found more that day. They would have taken you away, and killed me slowly. That was not Iluvatar's plan for us. We made a choice to fight for our lives, which is our right. We did not make deals than others take our place. That was a higher power."

Rhavaniel, "I know you are right. It does not make it any easier, not now."

Kili and Rhavaniel spoke softly for a few more moments, then Kili realized it was Rhavaniel who fell asleep while talking, instead of him. He was relieved - now he could sleep peacefully knowing she was not into some mischief.


	59. Tea Time

Fili gently nudged Kili awake, "Come brother, get some stew." Kili shook off the sleep. It was late afternoon. Kili glanced across the grass and saw Rhavaniel still sound asleep in her bedroll. That was truly a surprise. It was so surprising, Kili became concerned and rushed over to check on her.

Rhavaniel's skin was dark and warm, and her pulse was the typical Elf flutter. She woke with a yawn, blinked at Kili, and pulled the covers over her head.

Kili laughed. "Get up, lazy bones. We have work to do." Kili was thinking of all the arrows they were going to have to collect and repair.

"Noooooo." Rhavaniel protested. "Wait, is that food cooking?"

"Yes." Kili told her. "Get up and fight for a share of it like the Dwarf-in-disguise that you are."

Rhavaniel wordlessly jumped out of her bedroll, and limped off to the Dwarf assembly.

Fili came up beside Kili and put his arm around his shoulder. "Enjoying being the older brother for a change?" he asked. Kili blushed. He felt both relief and guilt that Fili did not understand the nature of his relationship with Rhavaniel. Kili wished he could talk to his older brother about her, but knew this was not the time or place.

Fili, "Come on, let's get a hot meal."

Bombur had prepared a beggar's stew, consisting of all the leftovers they had between them. "We cleaned the two of you out of petty-dwarf roots." he told Kili and Rhavi.

"Glad to share." Kili replied.

"I am afraid we have also finished off your tea and honey." Bilbo informed them as he handed them mugs.

"Thank you, Mister Boggins." Rhavaniel smiled politely. "It is a shame we lost our fishing lines. A trout would do nicely in this stew, and there seem to be many of them below us."

The Dwarves all stared at her silently. Rhavaniel put down her bowl and walked toward the cliff. At the edge of the ancient unused street, she pulled thin sod up to reveal a drainage gate.

"Here," she said, "Spring run-off from the mountain came in here. I saw the indentations earlier today, and heard the fish jumping. Good sized fish, not cavefish."

The rest of the Dwarves rushed to dig out and lift the grate. They lowered Ori with a lamp, and there was indeed an underground waterway.

Bifur grinned up at them, "We've got fishing lines."


	60. Hard Lessons

Dori and Nori had replaced Thorin and Dwalin keeping watch on the Elf Guard just South of Dale.

"Get some sleep." Dori begged them. "It has been a long night and day, and no telling what new obstacles await us."

Thorin, "That is why I cannot sleep, my friend."

As they walked back to the Dwarf camp, Dwalin asked, "What are we going to do about that Elf?"

Thorin, " I do not want her with us a moment longer. I would give her back to her people now, if I trusted that she would not tell lies against my nephew. I am weighing the risks for every turn."

Dwalin, "What turns do you not consider?"

Thorin, "The same ones you would not consider. We both know we will not harm a child."

Thorin and Dwalin approached a jovial group of Dwarves, clustered around Bombur's stew pot and a hole in the ground at the edge of the street.

The group cheered as Bifur pulled out yet another enormous fish. "They've gotten big in nearly 200 years!" Thorin smiled at them, glad to see that they were rested and finding more supplies.

Rhavaniel and Kili were contentedly sharing a bench and a bowl of stew.

Thorin observes Kili's gaze fall on Rhavaniel, and his smile stopped. Thorin was old enough to recognize the kind of glances he himself had passed in his younger days, when he was a Prince Under the Mountain and the future was bright. The burdens of responsibility has swept away those looks long ago.

Thorin pulled Kili aside, "I would speak with you now."

Kili put down his food and followed his Uncle to a central square of the City, away from the others.

Thorin, "I want you to tell me everything that happened to you while you were separated from us."

Kili explained all - from being discovered by Rhavaniel, to the supplies she put together for him from the Watchtower. He told of the necessity of setting the Watchtower on fire, and every encounter with this new tribe of Orcs. He told how they had spared the life of a Warg, and he had returned the favor. He mentioned finding shelter under the hills, and having to flee underground. He explained the accident of the bell in the Tower, and how they had agonized on what do to next, and the fierce fighting they had done that very day to be reunited with the Company.

Kili left out only three details - that Rhavaniel could read Dwarf runes, that Kili could swim, and that the two of them had been intimate. The consequences of those three facts were serious, and Kili hated keeping such secrets from his Uncle. What he wanted now was his Uncle's advice, but he dared not ask. They had the Quest to think about. Kili could help, or he could be a burden to his Uncle by the decisions he made.

Thorin thought long and hard about all that he heard. The information was valuable. The Orcs that Kili described were far more of a threat to Thranduil's Kingdom than Azog. This could be what he needed to bargain with - a greater threat to keep the Elves away from Erebor.

Thorin, "We are not going to run before dark. We will stay for the parlay. I want Thranduil to know that his people are being picked off and turned to Orcs, which is not surprising, the way he runs his Kingdom. I remember when Mirkwood was still called Greenwood. His lands have died a bit every day since his betrayal of my Grandfather and he still turns a blind eye. What do you expect of an Elf that sees an entire race of people destroyed and does nothing? It is his due."

There was only one other concern Thorin had to deal with. "And then we give the girl back to her people."

Kili, "It is not safe to give her back! I told you what happened the last time I tried."

Thorin, "She will be with a large group of Elves once the rest arrive. The alternative is that we take her with only our small group up against a fire drake. Which is really the most dangerous?"

Kili. "It is more than that now. I am afraid they will think she helped us escape and punish her. She does not deserve that. If her people will not treat her right, she needs to stay with me - us."

"I understand that you want to keep her." Thorin said pointedly, "All the more reason she needs to leave _now_."

Thorin turned to walk away.

Kili, "Please do not ask this. There must be somewhere else she can go, or even hide her in the City for a while."

Thorin, "No. She is not one of us. I would not have an Elf with us even if she was grown and able to make such decisions on her own. They are a corrupting influence. None of them are to be trusted, especially those of Thranduil. They would have us remain deprived of our place in the world, without homeland, toiling in the poorest mines while they profit from our labors."

Kili, "Uncle, I know the story of every slight but you are describing the worst of her kind, and she is clearly the best of her kind."

Thorin, "'Slight' does not begin to encompass the betrayal of her very tribe upon our family."

Kili, "Which happened long before she was born."

Thorin, "...And before you or Fili were born. Sometimes I envy you boys, that you never knew any better life. Your mother lived through that. She lived through being a Princess with luxury beyond the dreams of Rivendell and losing it all. She has worked hard her entire life to keep her children fed. I will not allow you to disrespect her."

Kili was confused, "I am not disrespecting my mother."

Thorin, "You most certainly are. I have never seen you look at a Dwarf girl the way you look at that Elf girl. When did you come to agree with them, that there is no beauty but Elf beauty? You insult your own kind, especially your mother. If I have been remiss in teaching that to you, I will correct it now."


	61. Misunderstandings

Dwalin sat across from Rhavaniel as she finished her stew. She was anxious for Kili and his Uncle to get back. She decided that she should keep busy rather than wear herself down with worry. She stood up, and Dwalin did as well.

Rhavaniel, "Excuse me."

Dwalin, "Where do you think are you going?"

Rhavaniel, "I know I am going to collect the arrows from this morning's fight. Kili only has a few left and I have none. I can salvage some with a little luck."

"Already done." Dwalin nodded to a covered stack. Rhavaniel pulled back the cover and noticed there were the three-tipped arrows she made for Kili, plus Orc arrows, but none of Elf design.

Rhavaniel, "I need to keep looking. These will not work with my bow." and proceeded to the cliff. The Dwarves had collected Orc bodies while she and Kili slept and threw than down an empty cistern. There was no point in climbing down - there would be no useable arrows in the battered, stinking jumble. She looked along the ground at the base of the cliff - there must be some here.

She looked at the crumpled parts of the carillon. She reached down and pulled off a small bell. It was a lovely, delicate silver one, undented in the fall. "I shall keep this one.", she decided, wrapping it with cloth to muffle the ringer. Still she looked and found no arrows.

She looked up at the cliff - the ropes and hooks that she and Kili had used to repel were still in place. Rhavaniel had spent may arrows on top of that cliff that very morning. The ground should be fairly littered with them. She might as well try.

Dwalin, "Hold! You are not leaving."

Rhavaniel, "I have no arrows unless I go up there. I have no sword, since your King Thorin took mine. How do you expect me to defend myself? I will be up and back before the fishes are cooked."

(**)

Balin was the one who interrupted Thorin and Kili, "Best come quick, there's trouble on the cliff."

Thorin and Kili raced back to find the Dwarves congregated at the cliff base, below the ropes. They were all yelling over each other with instructions and warnings and please for sanity.

Rhavaniel was a little more than half way up the cliff, and Dwalin was below her, a bit less than half way. They were screaming threats and curses at each other as Dwalin whipped the end of Rhavaniel's rope to jostle her against the cliff and Rhavaniel threatened to cut Dwalin's rope with her pocket knife.

Dori ran up from the South side of the city, "What is going on? The Elves can see the commotion now and they are getting very agitated."

"STOP!" Thorin roared. All paused, even Rhavaniel and Dwalin on the ropes.

Fili explained, "Rhavaniel said she needed to go up the cliff to find arrows and Dwalin said it was too dangerous."

"That is not what he said!" Rhavaniel's voice wafted down from the cliff.

"It is what he _should _have said!" Fili shouted upward, aimed at Dwalin.

Kili, "Rhavi, Fili is right. Come down, please."

Rhavaniel put away her knife and began to lower herself on her rope. Dwalin let go but waited for her to get along side him before he also climbed down. They repelled that last few dozen feet together in silent and mutual hostility.

When they reached the ground, Dwalin grabbed Rhavaniel's bow, which had been laid neatly against the cliff wall and smashed it, "I told you, you won't be needing any arrows!"

All the Dwarves and Rhavaniel paused for a moment of collected shock, then Rhavaniel made a completely foolhardy lunge at Dwalin. Kili caught her before they got close.

Fili ran to Dwalin, "Apologize, now!" he hissed.

Dwalin, "Not to a Lul Gijak..." he was not able to finish before Kili struck him.

"Enough!", Thorin pulled the knot of Dwarves apart. "Fili, Balin, mind your brothers, now!"

Dori, get back to the Elves, see that they are keeping the truce. Oin and Gloin, take the girl away, and don't let her out of your sight."


	62. Difficult Conversations

Bilbo sat with Rhavaniel as the sun began to set. She was sick with shame and regret that she had caused Kili to fight with his kinsmen. Oin and Gloin had hustled her away so quickly, she had not been able to talk to Kili. She had been crying quietly since then. Bilbo brought her some fish, but she did not want to eat.

Bilbo, "Is there anything I can do?"

Rhavaniel, "You can apologize to everyone on my behalf."

Bilbo, "I think they know already. Those that would listen know already."

Rhavaniel. "What happens now?"

Bilbo, "I think you are going back to your people once the sun sets."

Rhavaniel nodded. "Will I at least be able to say goodbye to Kili?"

Bilbo, "I will see if that can be arranged."

(***)

Fili, "Calm down. Calm yourself! The girl is fine. She is going home, where she belongs."

Kili, "I do not want her to go! Bad things happen when we lose sight of each other."

Fili, "Bad things happen when you two are _in_ sight of each other as well, from what I have witnessed. It is no one's fault, but we cannot have an Elf with us, or a little girl for that matter. She will cause strife, as she did without even meaning to.

We of the Company are a unit. She barely knows how to fight, and certainly not how to fight as a unit. She does not speak our language, and many of us will not trust an Elf. She cannot stay."

Kili, "Bilbo was not one of us but he proved himself."

Fili, "He proved himself after months with us. We are hours away from our goal. You bring up another point for my argument - everyone on this quest has a contract, including Bilbo. The girl does not and that is a problem. The Company would never agree to give her one."

Kili, "I know that, but there has to be something else that we can do."

(*****)

Thorin came to talk to Rhavaniel. "Bilbo, Oin, please leave us."

He handed her back her empty quiver, sack of personal items, small tool kit and Guard cloak. He had even returned her pocket knife. "I believe these are the only items that you did not steal. "

She nodded and handed back the cloak, "This was mine to give."

Thorin, "Dwarves do not take second hand charity." She rolled it up and put it in her empty quiver with her tools. Her moonstone was still tucked inside the toolkit. Thorin had not noticed or taken the silver bell. One other item in the sack was not hers.

Rhavaniel, "When you go to speak to the Elves, no more than three from each side should attend. Take this." handing Thorin the enamel feather, "This was an Elf trophy one of the Orcs was wearing. The guards will know it is Avari and not very old. It is further proof of what Kili and I witnessed."

Thorin took it. "I need to thank you. My nephew is convinced he would not have found us, would not have even survived without your help."

Rhavaniel, "But you are not convinced."

Thorin, "No, I am not. Kili was in a very dire situation, but he would have survived on his own. He is smart and strong. Your presence brought a new set of dangers. I would say neither thanks nor blame should be laid, but I will err on the side of graciousness and say 'thank you'.

Rhavaniel, "I am sure King Thranduil himself could not muster a more gracious gesture."

Thorin let the insult go, " I hold you no ill will, but I will not tolerate your presence among us. My nephew is very important to me. I take this opportunity before you leave to warn you, you will not be spreading lies about my nephew or any other Dwarf when you return home."

Rhavaniel, "I would not! Why would you even suggest such a thing?"

Thorin, "Because you are a sad little orphan, starving for attention. I think that for you, being terrorized by Orcs was a small price to pay for the longest amount of devoted time anyone has spent with you."

Rhavaniel felt the breath leave her body like a punch to the chest.

Thorin, "Now that you have developed a taste for attention, I find it very easy to believe you would tell any lie you could think of to get more if it. Telling Elves stories of big bad Dwarves would gain you a great deal of attention. I warn you - do not try it. You will not be believed. I will see to that."


	63. Parlay

Thorin proceeded to the meeting with Fili and Kili in tow. The lookouts had already informed him that the main group of Elves had arrived and joined with the twelve that had agreed to parlay.

Thorin, "Kili, I will do the talking. Speak only when I tell you to."

They met in the square of four arrows, south of the City of Dale, as night fell. The Elves had set up torches to light the meeting. The Elf contingent consisted of Prince Legolas, Tauriel, and a senior Elf Guard officer.

Thorin, "We bring news of Mirkwood."

Legolas, "Prison break. Yes, you are still the talk of the town."

Thorin, "No. I speak of something far more relevant to your people. When is the last time you heard from your Avari subjects?"

Thorin handed Legolas the enamel feather. "One of my Company took this off a dead Orc, nine days ago."

If Legolas was concerned, he did not show it. Thorin played the next card "Are you missing two Guards sent back to investigate a forest fire? Glennodad and Vehiron?" Thorin then unwrapped and offered Glennodad's sword to the Elf Guard. "They are dead."

The Elves interpreted the gesture as a threat, and all hands but Thorin's reached for weapons.

Thorin held up both hands, "My people did not cross swords with them. They are now dead, but not until they were already Orcs. At that point, I think you would agree that a mercy was served."

Legolas was angry and unconvinced, "You are lying. "

Thorin, "You do not want to believe me, ask one of your own kind. My sister-son rescued an Elfling of Mirkwood ten days past. She is at our camp, not well enough to walk."

Legolas, "Bring her out."

Thorin, "We will, but there must be an understanding. My nephew tried to return the girl once already, but those two unfortunate Guards were overtaken by Orcs and he had to rescue her. Honor demands that he not abandon her to danger. We need to know that _all_ of you will be taking the girl back home. That is reasonable. Besides, Prince Legolas, you had best be tending to your own Kingdom, and let me and my nephews attend to mine."

Legolas, "Who is this girl?"

Thorin turned to Kili and nodded.

Kili, "Rhavaniel Mordemirdanian. She is from a family of blacksmiths, small for her age, dark, with black hair and green eyes."

Elf Guard. "I know that girl. They call her Smudge. She is friendly with Vehiron's youngest child. How did she end up with you?"

Kili, "We crossed paths by chance in the woods above Lake-Town ten days ago and have been running from Orcs near every moment since. You must understand, there are two tribes of Orcs threatening Mirkwood, Esgaroth and Erabor. Azog the Defiler's tribe hunts the line of Durin for revenge. This other tribe is hunting Elf to make more of their own. They do not care how many snaga they lose to make one Uruk-hai."

"You need to pick your battles, and it isn't here." Thorin interjected, "We bring you the Elfling and you all depart."

Legolas, "I will speak with her, and if true, agreed."

Tauriel, "I should go instead. A child may be intimidated speaking to her Prince."

Kili was reminded of Rhavaniel's comment about pretty Princes and had to suppress a smile, "She would not be impressed." Thorin stared daggers at Kili.

Elf Guard, "He's right. That one's not a normal child. Runs wild. Even the Avari think she's cursed - they tricked the Mordemirdanians into taking her and Avari _never_ give up children."

Kili, "She is not cursed!"

Thorin, "Kili!" to the Elves, "He has grown protective, watching over the child for so long. I do not believe in curses, but having know the child only a few hours, I can attest to her genius at causing mischief."

Tauriel "I will go with them. Please lead the way."

Tauriel followed Thorin, Fili, and Kili back to their camp. The silence was awkward, so Kili began his discussion.

Kili, "This other tribe of Orc, hunting Elves, whatever they do to turn them was fast. We encountered Glennodad and Vehiron but five days later, and there was no vestige of Elf in them. Rhavaniel is not sure if they recognized her as herself, or just an Elf to be captured.

They ride Wargs. The Wargs...I don't know them by breed, but of the twenty I saw, they were all shades of black and grey. No reds or browns among them, if that helps."

Tauriel, "It does."

Kili, "They had a mix of Orc, with many smaller foot soldiers they call snaga. All the Warg riders were man-sized, save for the first one we killed - he was nearly my height.

They were all painted. Azog's Orc do not paint themselves, do they, Uncle? "

Thorin, "For war, certainly, to signify unit, but not for hunting and scouting."

Kili, "The paint was white, and dark red - stripes and shadows. They like painted wings. A few had real bird wings, on their backs. Some of them had braids of hair, I don't know from which race, worn as bracelets. I think those are just prizes taken, not rank. You would know the leader if you can figure out who is carrying the whip.

The Orcs near us now are Azog's - they use poison arrow, and they used one on Rhavaniel. That is why she is resting at our camp. Azog's tribe is here to kill Dwarf and Elf alike.

This other tribe does not use poison. They want to take you alive. If they catch one of you, they will torture you to lure out the rest. That is why they like to carry whips.

They don't care how badly hurt you are, either. The younger Elf Guard - his leg was freshly broken and he was walking on it when changed. It had been braced but still, it must have been agony."

Tauriel, "This must be a strong sorcery."

Thorin, "This conversation is rather one-sided. You, at least, seemed concerned when I mentioned the Avari. Why is that?"

Tauriel, "I am concerned with all the Elves of Mirkwood, as is our Prince. He keeps his emotions in check when negotiating. It is a sign of strength, not indifference."

Thorin, "Yet your emotions got the better of you?"

Tauriel, "I merely thought the trinket looked child-sized. It is irrelevant."

Kili stopped in his tracks, "You mean to say, you think we killed a child?"

Fili turned to his younger brother, "You killed an Orc. It is not a child if it is old enough to try to kill you first."

Kili nodded and turned to Tauriel, "You will not say that to Rhavaniel, will you? She will be upset."

Tauriel, "No, I will not."


	64. Whisper Campaign

Thorin led Tauriel into the little building where they had kept Rhavaniel. They had selected a building with a sturdy roof, at the mid-point of the City.

Rhavaniel looked a sad sight, exhausted from crying, with bandaged hand and foot, and bruises and scrapes on her face.

Tauriel knew Rhavaniel by sight, but had never spoken to her before. She introduced herself in Elvish.

Rhavaniel responded in Common Speech, "I am most happy to see you. Did they tell you already about the Orcs? The ones who took Glennodad and Vehiron?"

Tauriel, "Yes. We will return soon to inform our King and set the Guard to patrols."

"I do not understand how this happened. How could we not die first? Our souls were supposed to leave... " Rhavaniel shook from the effort of suppressing more tears. Bilbo put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Tauriel, "I do not profess to know, but a dark sorcery must have been in play that prevented it. Or perhaps Glennodad and Vehiron did leave their bodies and some other dark soul was put in them. I cannot begin to know. We must ask for help with these questions - discuss with our leaders."

Rhavaniel, "Then you will be able to take me home? My Dwarf hosts have been most gracious, but my family must be sick with worry, and I miss them terribly."

Tauriel, "Yes, we will take you home. First, I need to know everything about these Orcs."

Kili, "We should make you a map of the encounters." he looked at Thorin, who nodded his reluctant approval.

Ori provided paper and pen to Rhavaniel, and she and Kili sat with Tauriel, sketching the Orcs in every detail they could recall, and mapping all conflicts.

Kili was careful to keep his eyes downcast. He knew Rhavaniel must be considering their plan from last night - that she slip away and hide in the ruined West bell tower. He was tempted to let her do it, slip away himself, and run away together. These were stupid, childish ideas. He had to do what was best for everyone. Every threat imaginable was converging on Lonely Mountain.

Kili pointed to the East bell tower of Dale, "This is the first place the Orcs of Azog attacked us, and they were hardly more than a scouting party." He looked Rhavi in the eyes and pointed to the West bell tower. "This West bell tower is not safe, not at all. Only Orcs would go there." Rhavaniel understood. That had been her only hope.

Kili was not done. "I want you to have something." he told Tauriel. He pulled the Orc whip from his coat and handed it to her. "This is the kind of whip the Elf-hunting Orcs carry. Your elders may be able to decipher clues - what the marks on the handle mean or where it came from."

Tauriel took it. "You killed the Orc that wielded this?"

Kili, "No, Rhavaniel did, when she came back for me. She's very brave and a good fighter. The Guard would be lucky to have her." Thorin approached and Kili began to speak rapidly to Tauriel, "She would be better suited to apprentice with a Guard than at the forge. You are very kind, I know that from when we were in the Keep. You should take Rhavaniel to watch over and train her. She will mind you." Kili shot a pleading glance at Rhavaniel.

Thorin approached them, "You are satisfied that they have told you all they know, and that it be true?"

Tauriel, "Yes, we are agreed. Your nephew is a credit to you. We are grateful for this information, and for keeping a young one of our kind safe. This will not be forgotten."

Thorin, "That is the Dwarf way. Not like we'd throw her in prison."

Tauriel turned to Rhavaniel, "Do you have your things?"

Rhavaniel, "Yes Ma'am."

Tauriel, "You should say goodbye to your hosts before we go."

"That is done." Thorin dismissed.

Kili, "I have to carry her out to the meeting place." He scooped Rhavi up before Thorin could protest.

Fili tried to cool a seething Thorin, "_You_ said she couldn't walk." and picked up Rhavaniel's meager belongings. Tauriel collected the map and sketches and followed them all out the door.

They walked quietly back to the meeting location. Rhavaniel curled up silently in Kili's arms. If they had dared talk to each other, no words would have been sufficient.

Prince Legolas had been replaced by a second Elf Guard with a horse for Rhavaniel to mount, as they had been told an injured Elf was returning to them. Kili lifted Rhavaniel on to the horse with the help of the younger Guard and shortened the stirrups.

Tauriel took Rhavaniel's belongings from Fili with a simple 'thank you'.

Thorin was glad to see the Elf Guard who had called Rhavaniel 'cursed' still there. Thorin approached him, "Good luck keeping an eye on that one all the way to Mirkwood. Does not seem to be a lock she cannot pick." And with that, the seeds of doubt were planted.

**(Author's note: Again, sorry for writing Thorin to be mean. He loves Kili, and fully expected that Rhavaniel would hurt him.)**


	65. Campfire

Fili and Kili prepared to sleep by the campfire.

Fili, "What did you talk about with that Elf girl for ten days?"

Kili was silent.

Fili, "So, you were as tongue-tied as you are with Dwarf girls, eh? What did _she_ talk about while you listened?"

Nothing.

Fili kicked his younger brother. "Come on. Say something. You are not asleep. Tell me one thing about Elf girls, and I will leave you alone."

Kili, "She tasted like honey."

Fili bolted upright, "You kissed that girl!" Kili shushed him, lest the others hear. Fili fell back to the bedroll laughing. "Ho, ho, you were too scrawny for a Dwarf girl so you found yourself an Elf! I would want to know how Dwarf and Elf compare, but unfortunately you've nothing to compare it to. I should have stolen a kiss myself before she left since at least I could have told the difference."

Kili thumped Fili hard on the chest and Fili groaned, "Argh! Sorry, brother. Sorry."

After Fili regained his composure. "That explains why you have been so upset. You liked that Elfling as a bit more than friend."

Kili, "Uncle Thorin is angry with me."

Fili, "Well, he shouldn't be. There's no harm done. Not really."

Kili, "I hurt everyone, especially her. I am paying the price now."

Fili sighed knowingly, "Kili, I have kissed many girls. A kiss is loaning a bit of your heart, and borrowing a bit of hers. That bit of heart comes back to you, none the worse for wear. Same with the girl. That was your first kiss, so you think you gave your whole heart, but you did not. You will recover, and so will she. Your heart will be yours again, long before you are ready to marry and give it away, whole, to the right woman."

Kili rolled onto his back and asked hesitantly, "If you behave as though married with a girl, is your whole heart gone, never to return?"

Fili was concerned now, "Kili, What are you saying?"

Kili, "I'm not saying anything, I'm asking ...in the hypothetical. You're the older brother, you're supposed to know these things. If you don't have answers, shut up and go to sleep!"

Fili, "Brother, tell me what happened on the road?"

Kili, "I have told you everything - every encounter with Orc, every path taken, everything I saw. I told Uncle Thorin, I told you, I told the Elves. I am all told out."

Fili, "That is not what I meant. What happened between you and that Elf girl?"

Kili pulled up his hood and rolled over.

Fili wondered how they had all been so blind. How could something _not_ have happened between two lost and frightened young ones, with only each other to depend on?

Fili, "You are not the only one to grow up on this journey. Uncle Thorin wants me to lead. That means stop _following_ his every order and start questioning what I don't agree with. Maybe I don't want this feud with the Elves. Why can't we make peace and trade with them like the Men of Lake-Town? It can happen. Once we have something of our own and our elders can lay down thier bitterness and burdens. We'll have some hope for a change. We'll be the lucky ones, free to make our own choices. Would you like that?"

Kili. "I would. But that is not what is going to happen. I think she was all the luck I was missing, and I was all the love she was missing."

(*****)

Dwalin and Thorin sat by the fire.

Dwalin, "I am thinking I should say something to the boy."

Thorin, "Give him a bit more time. Let whatever poison the Elfling gave him leave his system. Kili will be himself again soon. He will come to you when he realizes the truth of things."

Dwalin, "I never thought there'd be a day where one of those boys did not trust me."

Thorin, "That's what Elves do - sow strife. A few hours and that one had us at each other's throats. "

Dwalin, "Are you worried about what happens next? "

Thorin, "No. After we recover Erebor and claim the treasure, I will be sending Fili and Kili to escort the families back from Blue Mountain. Kili will not disobey that order, and he'll be gone for nearly a year. I expect that both boys will come to know some suitable Dwarf girls in that time.

As for the Elf, I will send off a handsome payment in gold for her broken bow and injuries in battle. Let her try explain that to her people. I don't imagine Thranduil's Kingdom will be a welcome place for her much longer."

**(Authors note: probably going to take a long break here to re-read the book and possibly wait for Desolation of Smaug to be released. I need to get a better understanding of how events are unfolding to figure out how to weave characters and plot into the existing Universe.)**


End file.
